In Demand
by Jackie W
Summary: Jake O'Neill got the cool parents - Chapter 24! (This is is folks... the end at last!)
1. In Demand

Title: "In Demand"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Classification: S/J Romance  
  
Season: Season 6, Begins after Disclosure, and just keeps going!  
  
  
  
Summary: Everybody wants a piece of Carter and O'Neill's time. But when the General comes up with a plan, he opens a whole other can of worms.   
  
  
  
Author's Notes: One day I was reading all of the great spoilers for the last 5 eps of Season 6, and everybody kept mentioning how comfy O'Neill and Carter seemed together after META. Every time I read one, my muse gave me a little kick. I finally had to write this to stop the bruising. It was meant to be a short piece of what if. It turned into a series of short pieces that has a life of it's own!  
  
As always feed back craved!   
  
Major General George Hammond looked at the stack of requests on his desk and sighed. If there was one problem with having the Air Force's best under his command, it was that they were constantly in demand to work on other projects. This was especially true of Major Samantha Carter, who seemed to currently be urgently needed in four places at one time. She was a vital part of the SGC, and as such, was needed right where she currently was, in her lab. Of course as a member of SG1, she was an important resource out in the field, too. In the pile in front of him were high priority requests for her to spend time in Nevada working on some of the problems the X-303 had experienced on it's last flight, and to spend a month at the Pentagon working on a joint project with NASA, the Russian space program and a private satellite company to improve deep space observation capabilities. Of course there was also the standard request from the Academy for her to come lecture as well. The woman worked too hard as it was, although he had been happy to see that she had followed Doctor Fraiser's orders to take it easy after that whole Nirrti mess and had actually gone home and stayed there for the whole weekend several times over the last month. He certainly couldn't ask her to find time in her current schedule to fit any of these other requests, except perhaps for the one from the Academy.  
  
If that wasn't bad enough, there were two requests for Colonel Jack O'Neill's services on his desk as well. Both also were considered high priority. With troops amassing in the Middle East, there was a demand for people capable of teaching level 4 hand to hand combat, and O'Neill was one such person. The Academy and several Air bases had requested that he come to provide training. His experiences in Iraq also made him uniquely qualified to help train some of the special forces headed to that area, and there was a request for him to spend an undetermined amount of time with some of these divisions before they shipped out. But O'Neill had been taking on a lot of the responsibility for setting up the Alpha site, and it was due to start a major expansion within the next three months. He would be needed there for at least the start of that. His team was also one of the first contact teams and as such had been out scouting planets for a possible Beta site. For the first time, General Hammond began to wish they had kept those robot doubles around.  
  
Instead, the General began responding to the requests as best he could. He promised the Academy that Major Carter would make herself available for a one day class in the near future, stipulating that the class would need to be organized on a few day's notice. He was trying to diplomatically word his responses to the other requests denying the services of his officers when an idea struck. After mulling it over for a bit, and checking his calendar, he called Colonel O'Neill to his office to discuss the plan.  
  
"Colonel, I know we have talked about giving Major Carter more command responsibility, and after reviewing all of these requests for various projects either you or she are needed to help on, I came up with an idea. What would you say to you and Major Carter splitting command of SG1 over the next 3 to 4 months? I would assign a temporary member to the team, and while she is in Nevada or at the Pentagon, you would command SG1. Conversely, while you are off training, or at the Alpha site, she would command SG1. It would mean that the team would be available to continue scouting planets for possible Beta sites, and for other missions, and at the same time you would each be able to help out on these other projects, which quite frankly all have merit."  
  
O'Neill was silent for a long moment. Even his hands, usually in constant motion, were still. Hammond was actually becoming concerned when the Colonel spoke up.  
  
"It would be a great opportunity for Carter, Sir, but I have some personal issues that I would like to consider before I agree."  
  
"Personal issues? Is there something that we need to discuss? We can talk off the record if you need to," Hammond offered.  
  
"Let me think about this first. I'll get back to you by the end of the day."  
  
"Alright, And, Jack, I'm serious. If you need to talk, just let me know."  
  
"I might take you up on that, Sir," O'Neill said with a small smile.  
  
And with that he asked to be dismissed, leaving a confused and now very concerned General behind. Jack O'Neill with a personal issue that he might want to discuss? Hammond had been the Colonel's CO for almost 6 years, and the man had never once discussed s personal matter. Something was seriously wrong.  
  
O'Neill, on leaving the General's office headed straight to Major Sam Carter's lab, where he knew he would find his 2IC, who after all was the other person who would be most affected by this decision. He stopped when he got to the door of her lab, which was open, so he could determine just how deeply involved in a project she was before he interrupted. He had learned from past experience that startling her at the wrong moment could cause serious damage to her equipment, and once even to her when he had snuck up on her while she was actually inside a piece of machinery. Today, she was sitting at her PC, making some notes, so he decided it was safe to intrude.  
  
"Carter, we have a problem," he stated bluntly.  
  
Four hours later, after a lengthy discussion between O'Neill and Carter, which they had eventually brought their teammates in on, the two officers were waiting outside the General's office. Shortly, his secretary emerged and told them they could go in.  
  
Hammond looked at the two standing at attention in front of him. Since O'Neill had not come by himself, he assumed that there would be no discussion of personal matters. He was enormously relieved.  
  
  
  
"Be seated both of you. I'm assuming that you are here to discuss the plan I proposed to Colonel O'Neill this morning."  
  
"Yes, Sir," the two answered in harmony, causing all three to smile.  
  
"Yes, Sir," O'Neill continued. "We like the basic idea, but we would like to tweak the plan a bit."  
  
"Some of the timings can certainly be flexible, if that's what you mean, Colonel. If you have specific dates that you need open just let me know."  
  
"It's not exactly that, Sir," Carter jumped in. "It's more that as the plan stands, the Colonel and I would have basically no contact with each other for 3 or 4 months except for a day or two to hand over command here and there. We would like to add some time in between each of us taking off where we can both be at the SGC at the same time. Maybe even go off on a few missions with a 5 man team. "  
  
"For what purpose Major?" Hammond asked, sure that there was some logistical reason he was missing.  
  
O'Neill and Carter's eyes collided, and a silent conversation took place. Hammond had always been amazed at how the two communicated, even when neither said a word. Finally, they both nodded slightly and looked back at the General.  
  
"I think that this is the point where we talk off the record, General," O'Neill said with a sigh, and General George Hammond felt a major headache coming on.  
  
Jack O'Neill was a master at reading the expressions of his opponents, so it only took a second for him to figure out the thoughts going through his CO's mind.  
  
"Relax, General. We haven't broken any regs," he said with a grin. "Maybe bent them a little, but nothing that won't hold up in a court of review."  
  
Now Hammond's curiosity was peaked. If they weren't about to confess to an inappropriate relationship, what was this all about?  
  
"Actually we meant to tell you this all right after it happened," O'Neill continued, "but then there was the whole thing with Nirrti, and when we got back you were off in Washington. Carter and I don't want to be separated for months because, well, we are married, Sir."  
  
There was a moment of silence while that last sentence floated around the room.  
  
"Married? I thought you said that you hadn't broken any regulations? Marrying your 2IC is definitely against the fraternization regulations, Colonel!" Hammond bellowed, jumping to his feet.  
  
"Yes, but she was not under my command at the time we were married, and it is not against the regs to *be* married to your 2IC," the Colonel quickly added.  
  
Hammond stopped and sat back down with a frown. "Explain."  
  
"Sir, you know that Carter and I have had feelings for each other for years, and that we have always kept our relationship extremely professional despite those feelings."  
  
Hammond nodded. He'd always been aware of the extreme sacrifice these two officers made every day, and quite frankly had often wondered if he would have been committed enough to do the same if he were in their place.  
  
At this point Major Carter took up the explanation. "Sir, after the Colonel got back from his little adventure with Colonel Maybourne, Janet put him on sick leave to make sure he had no ill effects from that plant and to give him time to get his leg back to full strength. You asked if I would use my downtime to go to Nevada to work on the X-303. Before I left, I felt that the Colonel and I needed to talk, so I went to see him. Turns out that Teal'c had mentioned to him exactly how upset I had been while he was missing, and we had a lot to talk about. Again. We sat up all that night before my transport left and had actually decided that we had had enough. We were coming to talk to you about one of us transferring off of SG1 as soon as I got back."  
  
Hammond paled at the thought. He'd always dreaded that exact scenario, and had breathed a sigh of relief each time the two officers had once again sucked it up, and carried on after a close call or particularly tough mission.  
  
"After she left, I went to see Teal'c and Jonas, and let them know about our decision, since this was going to effect them. Jonas, of all people, asked why we didn't just get married," O'Neill said with a chuckle. "Seems he had questioned Teal'c a few months after joining SG1 and had gotten an explanation of the fraternization regulations. He took it upon himself to read up on them, and he picked up on the exception for married couples right away. I had to point out that it would be considered fraternization to marry a junior officer under your command. I've got to give Jonas credit for this one, he pointed out that Sam was in Nevada, under command of Colonel Barton at the moment, and that there was no waiting period to be married there."   
  
Carter chuckled at that. "And we all know that the Colonel is a man of action. Without so much as a phone call he showed up, ring in hand, and proposed. You can imagine my surprise when he told me that Janet, Cassie, Teal'c and Jonas where in Las Vegas just awaiting word that it was a go so they could finish planning our wedding. By the time we met up with them there, they had the whole ceremony and reception set up, and had even found a dress for me."  
  
"Not to mention booking us a great Honeymoon Suite," the Colonel added with a huge grin.  
  
"So, let me get this straight. You got married while Major Carter was temporarily assigned to Area 51, and there was *NO* fraternization before that?" Hammond questioned.  
  
"Absolutely not, Sir." Major Carter stated emphatically. "And since by the time I was back under Colonel O'Neill's command any *fraternization* would fall under the spousal exception, there has been no breach of the regs."  
  
Hammond thought this all over for a few minutes. This was certainly better than the alternative that they had presented. He wouldn't have to split up SG1. And these two officers had certainly shown time and time again that they could keep things professional. Suddenly he found himself smiling. He couldn't help but be happy for them. Even through the concern they had at his reaction to the news he could see a quiet joy. And he realized that that was what had been different over the last few weeks. SG1 had been in some stressful situations, but the team had seemed relaxed and happy overall.   
  
"Well, then I guess the only thing to say is Congratulations. And of course we will need to sit down and talk about the ground rules to make this work. Obviously, Colonel O'Neill will no longer be giving you your performance reviews, Major. And there will be a few other changes, but we can discuss those later."  
  
Suddenly Hammond's smile grew larger as he had another thought. "Have you told Jacob yet?"  
  
Carter's eyes grew large. "No, Sir. And we would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to him if he shows up, until we have had a chance to talk to him."  
  
Hammond would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. O'Neill looked almost green at just the thought. But all he said was "Of course not Major. Now let's see if we can come up with a schedule that doesn't keep you two apart anymore than necessary."  
  
Several hours later, with a tentative schedule worked out, and two possibilities for a fifth member to be temporarily assigned to SG1, Hammond dismissed the two officers. As they got up to leave, they stopped, and turned back to their CO.   
  
"General," O'Neill said, "we would just like to thank you for your support."  
  
"Yes, Sir, " Carter added, "we appreciate everything you have done for us over the years. We know that there had to have been several times that you considered splitting up SG1, and it means a lot to us that you have always trusted us to do what was right."  
  
"You two have never given me any reason to regret those decisions." Hammond stated proudly.  
  
"And we won't now either, General," O'Neill added. And with that they left.  
  
Hammond hesitated a moment and then picked up the phone, and dialed the number for base maintenance.  
  
Might as well get the rumor mill started.  
  
"Yes, this is Hammond. I need to talk to someone about setting up some married quarters on Level 22." 


	2. Momentum

Title: "Momentum"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
  
  
They started with a phone call.  
  
"This is Hammond, I need to talk to someone about setting up some married quarters on Level 22."  
  
They continued when the Airman who had originally taken the call casually asked a couple of his buddies over coffee if they knew who had gotten married.   
  
They spread when one of the Airman stopped in the infirmary to see if his girlfriend was ready to leave and repeated what his friend had said.  
  
But the rumors really gained momentum the next morning when the workers arrived on Level 22 to begin converting two of the standard quarters into a Married Quarters Suite, which would include a large private bathroom. People continually stopped by, discussing the work, and trading speculation on who the quarters were for.   
  
The obvious favorites were O'Neill and Carter, but since SG1 had headed out early that morning on a mission, and Dr. Fraiser wasn't due in until 14:00, there was no way to check out that possibility. So other rumors began to fill the void, including one that the General himself was remarrying. No one could pinpoint the SGC staff member that was his future wife, so that rumor fizzled fairly quickly. Of course Jonas and Teal'c got their fair share of speculation. They both already lived on base, so if one of them was to marry, they would definitely need larger quarters.   
  
Even Dr. Fraiser had been paired up with a couple of different officers. One rumor had her marrying Jonas. Another told of the huge cat fight she and Carter had had over O'Neill when the Doctor had told the Major that she and O'Neill were engaged. The good Doctor put all of those rumors to rest when she arrived, but then she was called into an emergency, so she was not available to pump for further information.  
  
By the time SG1 returned from their uneventful planet survey at 19:00, most of the daytime staff had left. However, Sgt. Davis informed Major Carter that there was a pool started by Major Griff if she wanted to get in on it. This was the first she had heard about the new quarters, but she gleefully put a few dollars down on Jonas Quinn and Lt. Rush, which of course started a whole new round of rumors. After her shower and post mission physical, since the guys were still in the locker room, she headed down to Level 22 to check out what she assumed were going to be her new digs. Hammond was there, checking on the progress made so far.  
  
"I guess I can't keep this as a surprise," he sighed.  
  
"Not anymore," she agreed. "But it was a very nice, one. Thank you, Sir."  
  
"You two spend almost as much time here as I do, it's the least I could do," the General replied.  
  
Since they were both on their way out for this night, they continued talking as they headed for the elevators.  
  
"So how long are you going to keep everyone in suspense, Sir?" the Major inquired.  
  
"Given how little work was accomplished today, I am having the nameplates put up tonight. Maybe this place can go back to normal tomorrow."  
  
"Just make sure that they say Carter/O'Neill, Sir. I want top billing."  
  
"You're not changing your name then?" Hammond asked chuckling.  
  
"Oh, can you just imagine how confusing *that* would be? Besides, Jack still calls me Carter most of the time anyway."  
  
The General stopped as they were exiting the elevator and turned to her in surprise.  
  
"You know that is the first time I have ever heard you call the Colonel by his first name."  
  
"And you probably won't again, at least not on base."  
  
"It's ok if you slip up once in a while Major."   
  
Sam laughed. "I'm more likely to slip up and call him *Sir* when I should say Jack!"  
  
They both were chuckling over that when they reached the security checkpoint, where Jack O'Neill was waiting for his wife. The three signed out and then headed to the parking garage.   
  
"So how does our new home away from home look?" O'Neill asked his wife.  
  
"It's going to be great," she replied.  
  
"You should be able to move in by the end of the week," Hammond said as they reached his car.  
  
"Thank you, Sir. Do I have to carry her over the threshold?" O'Neill quipped, earning him a playful slap from the Major.  
  
"No, but you might want to actually wear your wedding rings around base starting tomorrow. I'd hate for anyone to get the idea that I was allowing you two to live in sin," the General remarked.   
  
With that, they all went home for the night. The next morning, Hammond was pleased to see the base returning to normal. Most of the staff at one point or another stopped by Carter's lab or O'Neill's office to congratulate the newlyweds, and of course the pool winners had been determined and paid, but unlike the day before, work seemed to be progressing nicely in all areas of the SGC.  
  
At least it was until one of the nurses reported that a pregnancy test was missing from the infirmary. 


	3. Epidemic

Title: "Epidemic"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Lt. O'Malley counted again. Seven. She checked her inventory list again. Eight. There was definitely one missing. Damn. She hated filling out all that paperwork for something so small. It wasn't like it was a controlled substance that was missing. Maybe she would check with Dr. Fraiser and Dr. Warner to see if one of them had used a test and not marked it down. Dr. Warner was just about to head home so she hurried off to check and hopefully spare herself some work.   
  
An hour later the Lieutenant sighed as she finished filling out the forms. Neither Doctor had dispensed a pregnancy test in the last month, so one had definitely walked off. It wouldn't be the first time. The SGC was like a small town, and none of the females wanted it to get around that they were pregnant, especially if they were on an SG team and it could be a false alarm.   
  
"Hey, Bonnie! You ready to go grab a bite to eat?" one of the other nurses called.  
  
"Yeah. I just have to file this paperwork." Lt. O'Malley replied. "God forbid the U.S.A.F. doesn't get an accurate count of their pregnancy tests."  
  
"Did one walk off again? I wonder who swiped it?" her friend commented as they headed for the commissary. "Hey, O'Neill and Carter just got married. Maybe she's pregnant."  
  
By the time the two women reached the commissary, the news that Major Carter was pregnant had spread far enough that Jonas Quinn heard it as he left his lab to head to a briefing of SG1's next mission. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were already there, along with Teal'c, but before Jonas could say anything, General Hammond arrived and started the meeting. Oh, well. He would mention the rumor to them before they left the meeting. At least he assumed it was a rumor. He was sure that the two of them would not have kept that kind of news from their team.  
  
Hammond started off the meeting by announcing that he had selected the temporary fifth member of the team, a Captain Stan Wilson, who was currently on SG8. He called Captain Wilson in to join the briefing and introductions were made. Then Carter started going over the MALP readings from P4X-792. This was going to be a first contact mission with a population that seemed slightly less advanced than Earth. They had communicated with them via MALP, and the representatives welcomed a visit by the SG team.  
  
The General explained that all 5 members of the team would be going on this mission, and that on their return, Colonel O'Neill would be leaving for a week to go work with two special forces divisions that were about to head to the Middle East. During that time, Major Carter would be leading SG1.  
  
"Pardon my asking, but is there any danger to Major Carter going through the Stargate in her condition?" Captain Wilson inquired.  
  
Four sets of eyes swung first to the young Captain, then to Major Carter, who was staring at her new teammate in confusion.  
  
"What condition?" Hammond finally asked.  
  
"I'm sorry. I thought it was common knowledge. I heard that the Major was expecting a baby just before I came to the briefing," Captain Wilson stammered.  
  
Sam opened her mouth to speak, but found that nothing would come out. At the same instant Jonas choked on the coffee he had been sipping. Teal'c tilted his head to one side and looked at his teammate with an eyebrow raised. Jack O'Neill glanced at his wife, then at Hammond, who looked like he was going to implode, then back at Sam who was still struggling to find her voice.  
  
"Sam's *NOT* pregnant," he exclaimed, then added, almost hopefully "Are you?"  
  
"No!" She croaked. Then after clearing her throat she stated firmly "No, I'm *NOT*!"  
  
Jonas chimed in at that point. "Yeah. I was going to let you know about that rumor before we left the   
  
meeting."  
  
Sam buried her face in her hands. "I think I'll just stay in here for the rest of the day," she murmured.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Colonel, Major." Captain Wilson whispered.  
  
"You didn't start the rumor, son," Hammond assured him. "We just need to nip it in the bud."  
  
"Hell, we've been in this meeting for an hour. They probably have the baby shower planned," O'Neill pointed out with a chuckle, earning a glare from his wife.  
  
At that point there was a knock on the door, and Dr. Fraiser entered when beckoned. She looked around the room and sighed. She hated being the bearer of bad news.  
  
"It's ok, Doc. We already know about the rumor. Any ideas on how it started?" O'Neill said, letting her off the hook.  
  
"There was a pregnancy test missing when Lt. O'Malley did inventory today," she replied. "I'm sure that the speculation started from that. Everyone just settled on you, Sam, as their top choice, and within the blink of an eye it was a confirmed fact."   
  
"Any clue as to who the real culprit was Doctor?" Hammond asked. After all, he still might have a problem lurking out there.   
  
"No, Sir. We asked around among the medical staff. Lt. Buckman actually confessed that she just found out that she is pregnant, but swears she didn't use the test in the infirmary. She has been trying to get pregnant for a year, and she found out from a blood test at her OBGYN's office," Fraiser announced.  
  
"Ok, people. You're all dismissed. Go out there and try to squash this rumor. And Doctor, try to get to the bottom of this if you can," Hammond ordered.  
  
With that they all left. Jonas and Teal'c headed for the commissary, where they figured they could find the most people to talk to at one time. Sam went straight to the labs where she assured the scientists she worked with daily that she was not going on maternity leave anytime soon. Captain Wilson went off to find his friend from SG10 who had told him the news originally in the hope of spreading the facts back through him. And O'Neill wandered around the bottom levels of the SGC, setting everyone who stopped to congratulate him straight. Janet headed back to the infirmary where she had already put a stop to the rumor, but decided to detour to the security office to ask for the infirmary security footage for the last two days. She was pretty sure that there had been eight tests in that cabinet the last time she remembered being in there, so she thought that it had to be a fairly recent disappearance. A couple of hours later she had what she needed, and went to have a private chat with Captain Anderson of SG-12.  
  
It turned out that Louise Anderson was indeed pregnant. Single and using the SGC provided shots as birth control, she had figured that her symptoms were just the flu. But a couple of hours before she was scheduled to head off-world, she had decided to check just to ease her mind. When the test had come back positive, she had prudently decided to tell her CO she was too ill to go through the gate, not knowing whether gate travel would be harmful to the baby. She had since told her boyfriend the news, and was now ready for Dr. Fraiser to do a full work-up. The blood test confirmed the results of the initial test.  
  
"How can that be? I had my last shot right on schedule, and I haven't been on any meds that would have interfered with the Depro-Provera," she lamented.   
  
"Well, it is only 99.7% reliable, I'm sorry to say Captain," Dr. Fraiser commiserated.  
  
So Anderson went off to let her CO know she was pulled from active duty, and Dr. Fraiser went to report to Hammond that the mystery was solved. By the end of the day the news of the two confirmed pregnancies had made it's way through all of the SGC.   
  
The next morning, the SGC was totally abuzz , when Tech Sergeant Wallace, who had been off the day before and had missed all of the excitement, chose that morning to announce to her friends that she was expecting her second child.   
  
"It's got to be something in the water," O'Neill quipped as SG1 geared up to head out on their mission.   
  
"What could be in the water that would cause pregnancy, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.  
  
"It's just a saying, Teal'c. It seems like we are having an epidemic of pregnancies, and many epidemics are spread through contaminated water, so –" Carter tried to explain.  
  
"Ok! Enough of the history lesson! Let's get a move on campers," O'Neill interrupted.  
  
Over the next few days, as SG1 was touring P4X-782, known to the inhabitants as Gideon, three of Sam Carter's four teammates noticed that she was unusually quiet when she was not directly interacting with their hosts. Eventually, both Teal'c and Jonas asked O'Neill if anything was wrong. The Colonel didn't have a clue. Finally on the third day, he decided to corner her as they were heading to the dining hall to meet with some of Gideon's leaders for dinner.   
  
"Carter, wait up," he requested.  
  
"What's the problem, Sir?" she responded, softening the habitual title with a small smile.  
  
"That's what I was wondering. You've been a bit quiet. Is anything the matter, Sam?" he questioned.  
  
"No, not really. Just thinking," Sam muttered.  
  
"Come on Sam. You aren't mad because I cut you off when you were trying to explain the whole water/epidemic thing to Teal'c are you?" he asked, hoping it wasn't that or something else stupid he had done.  
  
"No, of course not. I was just thinking that Hammond has his hands full back at the SGC," she said with a shrug.  
  
"Yeah – hey maybe he'll start a daycare!" Jack joked getting the desired roll of the eyes from his wife. "Is that it? Worried about Hammond's staffing woes?" he continued.  
  
Sam was silent. He could see she was doing that little chewing her lip thing she did when she was seriously considering her next words. Then it dawned on him. Damn! He could be really slow sometimes.  
  
"Sam, are you sorry that *you're* not pregnant?" he hesitantly inquired.  
  
"No! Yes. I don't know. Maybe," she blustered. "I mean, we've only been married five weeks, and I don't know if I'm quite ready for it yet, but yes. I suddenly was very envious of Sgt. Wallace and Lt. Buckman. Maybe not so much of Captain Anderson, as she is having a tough time dealing with it. But I think I am jealous," she explained.  
  
"Me, too," Jack admitted. "I don't necessarily think this would be the best timing, but I do want kids when you are ready, Sam," he admitted.  
  
"I think this made me realize just how much I do want children. I always thought of having kids as something way off in my future. But I don't think I want to wait too much longer, Jack," she confessed.   
  
O'Neill looked around and seeing that they were secluded from prying eyes, took Sam into his arms.  
  
"So we wait a few months, and when it feels right we start trying for those four kids," he whispered in her ear.   
  
She pulled back a bit and pretended to look shocked. "Four?"  
  
She took his hand and they set off to catch up with their teammates.  
  
"Maybe we had better talk to Hammond about setting up that daycare!" she said with a huge smile. 


	4. See Jack Run

Title: "See Jack Run"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Bra'tak and Teal'c were both on the road to recovery, and all of the SGC was breathing a sigh of relief. After the grueling mission spent picking their way through hundreds of dead rebel Jaffa to find their two friends, and then two more days of worrying and taking turns sitting at their sides, the remaining members of SG1 were more than ready to follow orders and get some sleep. Jacob would be staying overnight so that he could monitor the effects of the Tretonin before reporting back to the Tok'Ra on it's success, so he and Sam made plans to meet for breakfast the next morning before she wandered off to fall into an exhausted sleep. Jacob Carter checked in on the patients one last time before he too headed off to bed.  
  
"Dr. Fraiser, how are they doing?" he inquired of the woman that he had come to think of as a friend.   
  
"They are improving rapidly, Jacob, thanks to you and Selmak," she replied.  
  
"We only hope that we can indeed use this as a first step to freeing all of the Jaffa from their enforced slavery," Selmak stated. Then Jacob spoke again. "Doc, you'd let me know if anything was wrong with Sam, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Of course, Jacob. But Sam is fine. She gave us quite a scare when Nirrti captured SG1, but she didn't suffer any long-term effects. Why do you ask?' Janet questioned.  
  
"She seemed a bit quiet today. Not anything I could put my finger on," he admitted.  
  
"It's been a tough couple of months for her, Jacob. I know she has wanted to speak to you about some things. Hopefully tomorrow when she is rested you two can have a good talk," the Doctor said reassuringly.  
  
Privately she crossed her fingers that Jacob would react well to Sam's news of her marriage to Jack O'Neill. She knew that her friend had been worried about telling him all day, for fear that the news might re-open the old rift between herself and her Dad. That rift had hurt Sam deeply, and she did not want anything to interfere with their new closeness. But tomorrow she would need to tell him her big news before he left.  
  
"As long as you're sure she's alright," Jacob continued.  
  
"She is, I promise," Fraiser answered with a smile. Better than *alright* she thought. Her friend was downright glowing when she wasn't worrying about a fallen teammate.  
  
The next morning Jacob Carter left the VIP quarters to head down to the commissary to meet his daughter just as Colonel Jack O'Neill exited a door down the hall. O'Neill headed off in the opposite direction, unaware that the older man had seen him. Jacob's curiosity was peaked, as he was positive that the Colonel's quarters were not on this level. Once he was sure that Jack was out of sight, he headed down to the door that O'Neill had exited and read the nameplate. After a moment of shock, he pounded on the door.   
  
Forty-five minutes later Jack was surprised to see that he had beaten both Sam and Jacob to the commissary. He had stopped off in his office to pick up some reports he had completed the day before, and swung by the General's office to deliver them. Hammond had inquired after his health, to which he had grimaced in reply and admitted that they hadn't told Jacob their news yet.   
  
"You might want to have the Doc standing by in case I come to bodily harm over breakfast though, Sir," Jack had said with a sigh.  
  
He was sitting with a larger than normal breakfast, and a grin from remembering exactly how he had worked up such an appetite, when Jacob joined him with his own tray.  
  
"You seem to be in a good mood this morning Jack. Anything you want to share?" Jacob quizzed.  
  
"No, Jake, just happy to have my team back in one piece," O'Neill responded quickly, wiping the grin off his face. It wouldn't do to be thinking of this morning's shower with a certain retired General's daughter when said General was sitting directly across from him. He was going to be in enough trouble shortly anyway.   
  
Just then Sam walked in and seeing her husband's loaded tray had to fight the grin that was threatening her own features. She waved and pointed to the line to indicate she was going to get some food. Jack sighed and dug into his pancakes hoping to forestall any further conversation with Jacob until Sam joined them. When she arrived, her father raised his eyebrows at the amount of food on her tray.   
  
"You both seem to have healthy appetites this morning," Jacob commented.  
  
Damn, this time they both grinned.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's been a stressful few days. I think I skipped a meal or two," Jack covered neatly.  
  
"Hmph, nice try, Jack. Just when were you going to tell me you're sleeping with my daughter?" Jacob demanded.   
  
For once in his life, Jack O'Neill was speechless. He desperately searched his mind for a comeback, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Nope, he had nothing. At that point his wife took pity on him, and raised a hand to pat his arm.   
  
"He knows, Jack. He stopped by our new quarters on his way here," she said softly.  
  
O'Neill took a deep breath and looked Jacob Carter in the eye. "I love her, Jacob. And I promise to do everything in my power to make her happy."  
  
"Good answer," Jacob said with a smile. "I have to admit to still being a bit shocked. Just how long has this been going on?"  
  
*This* could mean a lot of things. Jack chose to clear up the most obvious first.  
  
"We never did anything inappropriate while she was under my command, Jacob, but I've been in love with her pretty much since I met her," he confessed.   
  
Jacob nodded. That was the same answer Sam had given him after she had opened the door to find her father about ready to self-destruct. He had calmed down considerably when she had told him they were married. Then she had given him the abbreviated version of how the whole thing had come about.  
  
"So you snuck off to Las Vegas?" Jacob confirmed.  
  
"Well, we didn't exactly sneak, Dad. Jonas, Teal'c Janet and Cassie were all there. We have pictures," Sam explained. "We only had a short window of opportunity to get everything done without breaking any regs."  
  
"And you are happy?" Jacob asked, even though Sam had already assured him that she was.  
  
The twin grins appeared again.  
  
"Yes, Dad. Very happy," Sam nodded.  
  
"How could I not be, Jacob? I definitely got the better end of this deal," Jack acknowledged.  
  
"It just seems so fast," Jacob sighed. Then when Sam snorted he looked at her in surprise. "What?"  
  
"Jacob, this had to be one of the longest cases of repression and denial in history," Jack explained. "The ceremony might have taken place quickly, but believe me the relationship was not fast by any means. You can't tell me you didn't have a clue. There were betting pools on the two of us getting together from the moment we stepped out of the first briefing six years ago."   
  
"Denial can be a good thing, Jack. Especially if you are a father. And if Selmak knew, which she assures me that she did, she never said a word. She let me live in blissful ignorance," Jacob confessed.   
  
With that they left the commissary and Jack headed off to check on Teal'c and Bra'tak, while Jacob followed Sam to her lab.   
  
"So now what, Sam. You continue on with SG1 like before?" Jacob wanted to know.  
  
"For now, pretty much. We have all of these special projects to get through, so we will be trading off as CO of the team when needed, and occasionally going out together like before. Then when all of that settles down, we need to concentrate on selling my house, and maybe remodeling Jack's or start looking for a bigger house," Sam said.  
  
"Jack's house is plenty big, isn't it?" Jacob inquired.  
  
"For the two of us, sure. But not for four or five," Sam teased. (Or six if Jack has his way she thought)  
  
She watched as that statement sunk in.   
  
'Oh!" Jacob exclaimed. "You're not…"  
  
"No, Dad. Not now. But don't be too much of a stranger. You'll want to be checking in to keep tabs on when your next grandchild is expected," she said with a grin.  
  
Jacob paused for a moment, and then smiled. "I think I'll go catch up with my son-in-law in the infirmary," he said.   
  
Sam laughed as she picked up the phone to call down and warn her husband that a certain perspective grandfather wanted to have a little chat.   
  
A few minutes later a couple of SF's were almost bowled over as Colonel Jack O'Neill beat a hasty retreat from Level 21. 


	5. Classified

Title: "Classified"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Author's Notes: I have always had a soft spot for Sara O'Neill. (Not that I want her anywhere near Jack!) This is my tribute to her. She deserves some happiness.   
  
  
  
Sara didn't really know why she was nervous. It wasn't as if she needed her ex-husband's approval to move on with her life. Frankly she had been surprised to hear his voice on the answering machine the week before. Other than a few brief meetings at Charlie's grave, they hadn't talked at all to each other in the last year. But she supposed it was the decent thing to do, to tell him she was getting married again. She would hate for him to hear about it from some random discussion with one of the few mutual friends that they still had. Besides, he had called her, saying he had something he wanted to discuss, so this would be a good opportunity to talk to him in person.  
  
  
  
They had arranged to meet in the bar of a local restaurant. Will had dropped her off, and was at the back of the bar, playing pool. She wanted to talk to Jack alone first, but she needed her fiancée close for moral support, and she thought she should probably introduce them to each other. Although Will actually had said that he knew who her ex-husband was, as Jack had taught various classes at the Academy, and Will was a full time professor there.   
  
She barely glanced up when a group of people walked into the restaurant. Then she realized that a couple of them looked familiar. They had been with Jack over 5 years ago during that bizarre incident at the hospital. She still wondered about that whole episode to this day. The tall blonde, Captain Carter if she remembered correctly, scanned the bar, and upon seeing Sara, turned and said something to her three male companions.   
  
One of men she hadn't met nodded and he and the other two went off to the hostess desk, obviously to wait for a table. Sara was surprised to see that Captain Carter was headed her way.  
  
"Mrs. O'Neill?" Sam said in way of a greeting.  
  
"Captain Carter, right?" Sara replied. "And it's Sara."  
  
"It's Major Carter now, but please call me Sam. The Colonel wanted us to let you know that he got tied up on base. He should be here in about 15 minutes," she explained.  
  
"Thank you," Sara said, wondering if she should stay at the bar or wander on back by Will.  
  
"I was going to get a beer. Do you want anything?" Sam Carter asked.  
  
"Sure, I'll have a white wine," Sara accepted with a smile.  
  
Well this was cozy. Luckily, Sara O'Neill had been a military wife for many years and could strike up a conversation with complete strangers easily. It was a skill that she was finding useful in the academic community as well.  
  
"So, you've worked with Jack for quite a while?" she questioned the Major.  
  
"I've been his 2IC for almost six years," Sam admitted.  
  
"Wow! I didn't think that anyone could put up with Jack as a CO for that long," Sara said with a chuckle.  
  
"I have to admit to almost throwing in the towel a couple of times," Sam confessed with a grin.  
  
Just then Will Downing walked over to check on his fiancée. "Sara, is everything ok?" he started, then recognized the woman she was talking to. "Major Carter, it's nice to see you," he said.  
  
"Professor Downing, what a nice surprise," Sam exclaimed.  
  
"You two know each other?" Sara inquired.  
  
"Sara, do you remember me telling you about the brilliant lecture on Astrophysics I sat in on at the Academy a few months ago? Major Carter was the lecturer," Will explained.  
  
"Astrophysics?" Sara repeated in surprise. "You're Dr. Carter!"   
  
"Theoretical Astrophysics actually," Sam admitted. "And I'm guilty as charged."  
  
"And you're Jack's 2IC?" Sara asked, more than slightly confused. Why would Jack have a scientist as his 2IC? It didn't fit with the type of work she assumed he still did.  
  
"Yeah, I confuse the hell out of him," Sam laughed. "Most of the time on purpose!"  
  
Jack O'Neill walked into the restaurant and headed straight for the bar. He was twenty minutes late, and he hoped that Sara wasn't too upset. Then he stopped short. There at the bar was his ex-wife and a guy who looked vaguely familiar, laughing along with his new wife. This could be very bad. Taking a deep breath, he shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled over to them with a casual air.  
  
"Carter's not giving away state secrets is she?" he asked the group as he approached.   
  
"Of, course not. Now as for O'Neill secrets, that's a totally different story," Sam teased.  
  
"Hey! All of my secrets are classified!" Jack admonished with a grin.  
  
Sara introduced the two men, who nodded at each other. Will then decided to make a strategic withdrawal.  
  
"Major Carter, do you play pool?" he inquired, leading her away.  
  
Jack caught Sam's eye before she left, and she silently let him know that she hadn't said a word about them to Sara. He let out the breath he had been holding.  
  
"You're 2IC is very impressive. Nice, too," Sara commented.  
  
"She should come with a warning label," Jack replied with a grin.  
  
"Really? Why?" Sara asked, not sure she actually wanted to know.  
  
"Besides the fact that she's way smarter than us? She's about to wipe up the floor with poor Will at the pool table," Jack said, nodding towards the back of the bar where the two had headed. "Will seems nice. I've seen him around at the Academy, but I've never actually met him before. Is this something serious?"  
  
"We're getting married, Jack. In the spring," Sara said softly, watching closely for his reaction. Jack was a master at hiding his feelings from most people, but she had learned to read most of his thoughts by watching his eyes.   
  
O'Neill let this news sink in. A few months ago, it might have hurt a bit. But now?  
  
"I'm really glad for you Sara. It's good to see you laughing again. You deserve to be happy," he said. And he meant it. "So tell me about this guy. He'd better be good enough for you."  
  
Sara looked at him in surprise, and then proceeded to tell him about Will Downing, who was a professor of chemistry, widowed with two pre-teen daughters. They had met two years ago at a party, and started dating shortly after that when a mutual friend had set them up. The two girls got along well with Sara, and Will had asked her to marry him a month ago.   
  
"So you're going to be a step-mom. I'm glad for you. You were such a great mother, Sara," Jack said.  
  
"Thank you, Jack," she managed to say, extremely touched. And once again she studied him closely. He seemed more at peace than the last time she had seen him. Maybe he had finally managed to move on, too.  
  
"So is there anyone special in your life?"  
  
"That's actually why I called you last week. I didn't want you to hear through the grapevine. I got married six weeks ago," Jack announced with a smile.  
  
"Married! That's great, Jack. Anybody I would know?" she asked, slightly surprised that she was actually ok with this news. Being so happy herself, she could only wish the same for him.   
  
"You've met her. Blonde, way smarter than us, something of a pool shark," he quipped.   
  
"Major Carter? Isn't that frowned upon?" Sara inquired with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Court-marshable offence, in most cases. We found a loophole," he shrugged.  
  
"Of course you did," she chuckled. "Jack O'Neill would."  
  
"Come on, let's go rescue your fiancée. And I would love for you to meet the rest of my team if you have time," Jack said as they headed back to the pool tables.  
  
An hour later, Sara had to admit she was enjoying herself. Just as Jack had predicted, they had rescued Will as he was about to be beaten badly for the second time by an unrepentant Sam Carter. Then Jack had led them all over to a table occupied by the three men the Major had come in with, and had introduced the two newcomers to Jonas Quinn, Captain Wilson, and Teal'c, who Sara also recognized from that day so long ago. They had pulled up another table, making room for seven, and insisted that Will and Sarah join them for dinner.  
  
They were a lively bunch, and Sara quickly got the impression that they were celebrating. An opinion that was confirmed a bit later when a short woman with reddish brown hair joined them and after being introduced as Dr. Janet Fraiser, she bought a round of drinks, claiming 'This round is on SG10 to thank you for helping them out with that little problem.' Sara had been surrounded by military secrets for enough of her life that she recognized that as code for being rescued. So, Jack was still doing the whole special ops thing in some way, although how a scientist and two civilians fit in she had no clue. Oh, well, another mystery to file away with the rest she had accumulated being married to a man that lived and breathed all things classified.  
  
A couple of minutes later, Sara watched as Sam Carter (Or is that O'Neill she wondered) made her way to the ladies room. She had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her alone, so she followed a minute later, and was waiting by the sink checking her make-up when Sam emerged.   
  
"Sara! I didn't realize you were in here," Sam exclaimed.  
  
"I just wanted a minute to talk. I feel like there are things that I should be telling you, but maybe you already know about them," Sara said nervously.   
  
"If you mean about Iraq, and some of the missions before I met Jack, I know the basics," Sam admitted, after looking around to be sure they were alone.  
  
"Good. There is a lot of emotional baggage that you are going to have to deal with. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared," Sara stated. "I never felt like I was really helping. Maybe you will have better luck."  
  
"I have an advantage in that I have been in battle, and I have even been held prisoner," Sam confessed.   
  
"But you are wrong if you think that you didn't help him Sara. He once even admitted to me that the thought of getting back to you was what kept him going, crawling his way out from behind enemy lines with a skull fracture."  
  
"Really? That's amazing. I don't think I ever heard Jack admit to needing anybody to get him through anything," Sara said shaking her head.  
  
"But he does. Of course he was in severe pain with several broken bones when he let that out," Sam laughed. Then she sobered. "And he still does need you Sara. You and he share a grief that no one can intrude on. We shouldn't. It will always be something that you two have to deal with together. Will and I can only be there for support when you need it."  
  
Sara nodded. It was the same with Will and the girls' grief over the death of his first wife, Joan. She would always be on the outside of that circle of grief, included only if they felt the need. She looked at Sam Carter with a new respect. The woman must have some experience with grief herself to understand it so well.   
  
"Thank you, Sam. I think that you are just what Jack needs, someone who understands him enough to give him space when he needs it. And you obviously love him. I'm glad you two managed to find a way to be together."  
  
"Thank *you*, Sara. And I understand him, alright. Enough to know that at this moment he is extremely nervous that the two of us have disappeared off together. He probably figures that I am pumping you for information," Sam smirked.  
  
"Anything you want to know, Sam. You just call me. Maybe we should have lunch!" Sara laughed. "Jack won't know what hit him."  
  
"Ooh, I'm so glad you said that. There is one thing that I am dying to find out. Jack knows everything about my family, but whenever one of us asks him about his, he just says it's classified," Sam complained. "So are there any in-laws I need to be worried about?" 


	6. Prelude

Title: "Prelude"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
  
  
Authors Notes: This is the Prequel to In Demand. The weekend that changed everything.  
  
  
  
Major Sam Carter was frustrated. She had been in Nevada at the Groom Lake facility for a week now, and had spent the last two days trying to convince a very stubborn Dr. Conrad that his calculations on the power output from the sub-light engines had a flaw in them. At 16:00 on Friday afternoon he had left the lab, claiming he had a hot date, and stating that Major Carter could spend *her* weekend re-doing the calculations. He was sure that they were correct, and he wasn't going to waste his time arguing with her. Colonel Barton had been furious when he had found out an hour later, as they needed those numbers for Monday morning's planned simulations, but by that time the good Doctor was long gone, and not answering his pager.   
  
Now, several hours later, Sam was sitting in her cramped quarters trying to decide what to do. She could grab a quick bite in the mess and then head back to the lab, but frankly she was still fuming and really didn't think that spending Friday night alone in the lab was going to help her mood any. She had tried calling the Colonel, (Jack, she reminded herself, must try to call him Jack if they were going to try this whole relationship thing when she got back) but the SGC had reported that he had signed out for the day, and she hadn't been able to reach him at home or on his cell phone. Since their long discussion before she had left for Nevada, they had talked nightly, except for the one night that SG1 had spent off-world. So feeling lonely and even more frustrated, she decided to head off of the base and find some real food, and then try to call Jack again when she got back. The calculations could wait until tomorrow.   
  
After changing into jeans and a sweater, she grabbed her cell phone and purse, and was just snagging her jacket when the phone in her quarters rang. Frowning, she answered, hoping that this wasn't some crisis that needed her attention, as her stomach was seriously rumbling now.   
  
"Carter," she barked into the phone.  
  
"Major, there is someone here at Hanger 4 that insists on seeing you," an airman explained.  
  
"Who is it?" she asked, and she heard a short discussion in the background.  
  
"He refuses to say, Major," the airman finally responded.  
  
What the hell! This was the last thing she needed to cap off a perfectly horrid day. "I'll be right there, airman," she sighed. Then she had another thought. "Could you please order a car for me and have it delivered there to the hanger?" she requested. That would at least save her time when she had finished dealing with this mystery person.  
  
Hanger 4 was a brisk five minute walk from the building her quarters were in, and she arrived slightly out of breath, and feeling even more harassed. That was until she saw who was waiting for her. Then she broke out into a huge grin.   
  
"Sir!" she exclaimed, then at his raised eyebrows she corrected herself. "Jack, I just tried to call you."  
  
Mindful of the airman providing an audience, Jack O'Neill resisted the urge to pull the woman of his dreams (highly erotic dreams of late) into his arms.   
  
"I thought I would surprise you. I must have forgotten to turn my phone back on when I got off the plane. I was hoping to take you out to dinner, but I forgot how remote this place is. Can we get anyplace in a decent amount of time?" he asked casually, as if he had just hopped across town to take her out, instead of flying over 800 miles, and calling in a favor to get a plane to land him directly at Groom Lake instead of at the Nellis field.   
  
"You must be a mind reader. I was just about to head out to find some food. If we drive towards Las Vegas, we'll come to some pretty decent spots in about 20 minutes," Sam said. "Or we can just head into Indian Springs and eat at The Oasis. It's nothing fancy, but they have great pie."  
  
"Great pie it is," Jack grinned, silently thinking that he wanted to stay near the base until he knew how this whole thing was going to turn out.  
  
Over dinner he quickly caught Sam up on the week at the SGC as best he could in a public place. Then they talked about Cassie's upcoming 17th birthday, and other non-work related topics. As they finished up their pie though, Sam could sense that Jack was getting fidgety. Not his normal too much energy fidgety, but a nervousness that was unlike him. Then a horrible thought occurred to her. What if he had changed his mind? There was so much at stake if they talked to Hammond when she got back. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to risk his position on SG1. It would be like him to tell her right away and not wait until she got back. She could feel a knot forming in her stomach, which got worse as he pulled out his wallet to pay the bill.  
  
"Sam, is there somewhere we can go to talk. It's a fairly nice evening out. Maybe somewhere we can sit out under the stars?" Jack suggested.  
  
"Sure. I know the perfect spot," Sam said giving him directions.  
  
Fifteen minutes later they were parked just off of a secluded service road that went into Nellis. Jack had grabbed the floor mats, and they were seated on them looking up at a wide open, crystal clear sky, full of stars. Jack, however, was back to fidgeting.   
  
"Look, sir. It's ok. Just say what you need to say," Sam finally blurted out. "If you've changed your mind about going to talk to Hammond, just tell me," she added, staring at the ground.  
  
Jack took a moment to process that. How could she think he had changed his mind? Sam Carter was one of the smartest people he knew, but when it came to her personal relationships with men, she could occasionally be very obtuse. He started to shake his head to deny what she had said, but then noticed she wasn't looking at him, so he hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.   
  
"Sam, I haven't changed my mind. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me. Forever if you think you can stand it," he confessed.  
  
Blue eyes searched his and saw the truth in his words. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Forever sounded nice. Very nice. When she opened her eyes she was surprised to see him fidgeting again.   
  
"Sam, Jonas said something to me a few days ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I know this is fast, and if you are not ready for this just let me know, but I have to at least find out how you feel about this," he rambled.  
  
"Feel about what, Jack?" she asked.  
  
"Sam, who are you reporting to at Groom Lake?" he asked in return.  
  
"Colonel Barton and General Greer. Why?" she wanted to know, confused at the apparent change of topic.  
  
"So Colonel Barton is your commanding officer?" he prodded.  
  
"Yes, Oh!" she said, her eyes widening as understanding set in. "Yes he is," she confirmed with a smile that was growing by the second.   
  
"So, we could say, run off to Las Vegas without breaking any regs," he grinned.  
  
"Yes, we could," she agreed with a matching grin.  
  
"We could even get married while we were there," he continued, watching her face closely to catch her reaction.  
  
But there was none. Sam had become totally still. She was desperately trying to process what he was saying. Sure they had each confessed to loving each other last week. They had even repeated it over the phone a couple of times. But marriage? Not that she hadn't thought about it. Ok, fantasized. Alright she had actually been daydreaming about it for the last week and had caught herself doodling variations on her possible married name yesterday. She just had been pretty sure they would actually go out on a date first. Ok, so maybe tonight counted. But was he serious? She suddenly realized that she had been quiet for several minutes, and that Jack was beginning to panic. She could see him thinking of ways to backpedal out of that last statement. So she put the ball back in his court (in a manner of clichés)  
  
"Yes, we *could*," she repeated her previous statement cautiously.  
  
Jack smiled. That was one of the things he loved about her. Not one to rush into things, she needed some facts to weigh, options to consider, outcomes to ponder. So he started in explaining.  
  
"Like I said, I know it's moving fast. It's just that Jonas mentioned that since you were not technically under my command at the moment, and we were free to pursue a relationship, that if we got married before you came back, then that relationship would fall under the spousal exception to the regs, and Hammond wouldn't *have* to split us up," he blurted out.   
  
As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he had screwed up royally. He could see the frown form on Sam's face as he finished. 'Great going, Jack! You just told her you want to marry her so you can keep SG1 together.' Now he was definitely panicking. How did he fix this?   
  
Sam for her part didn't know whether to laugh, cry or rage at him. Then she got a look at his face, and decided that maybe she should take pity on the poor man. This was Jack after all, famous for putting his foot in his mouth. Still, there was no way she was going to let *that* be her marriage proposal. And she had already come to the conclusion that she wanted to marry him. Tomorrow.  
  
"Jack, that had to be the poorest excuse for a marriage proposal ever issued. Do you want to try again?" she chuckled.  
  
At that moment, all of his previous nervousness evaporated. God he loved this woman. She so should be kicking his butt for that. Instead, she was giving him a chance at doing this right. A chance to tell her once and for all what she meant to him. He wasn't about to blow it. He knew that to get the desired answer, all he had to do was actually ask the question.  
  
"Sam, I love you. I can't imagine the rest of my life without you by my side. Will you marry me?" he asked, pulling out the small velvet box from his jacket pocket and revealing a diamond and sapphire ring.   
  
This time, he got one of her brilliant smiles in response. "Yes, Jack. I'll marry you. Anytime, anywhere. I love you, too. I have for a very long time," she answered, and he slipped the ring on her finger.  
  
Then their lips finally met in a kiss, one that started out soft and gentle. It quickly escalated, ignited by years of pent up desire. When Sam felt Jack's hand on her bare skin under her sweater she pulled back to take in some much needed air.  
  
"We could take this somewhere more comfortable," she commented.   
  
"Yes, we could. I don't suppose your quarters are much better though," he sighed.  
  
"No, but you said something about Las Vegas. We could stop back at my quarters and pick up my things, and then head into Vegas to find a hotel room," she suggested.   
  
"Only one problem. Jonas, Teal'c, Janet and Cassie are in Las Vegas waiting for us," Jack announced.  
  
"They are? Why?" Sam asked, unable to fathom why they would have come along with Jack to propose.  
  
"Well, even though I wasn't sure of your answer, Janet was. And they insisted that they were going to be there if we got married tomorrow," he explained.   
  
"*When* we get married tomorrow," Sam corrected, causing Jack to swoop in for another heated kiss.  
  
"When we get married tomorrow," he agreed when they finally broke apart again. "I'm supposed to call them and let them know how it went. They said they would arrange everything for us."  
  
"So tell them we will be there in the morning. Then I'll go pack my toothbrush, and we will be on our way. They don't need to know we are arriving tonight," Sam urged, picking up the floor mat she had been sitting on.  
  
"Just your toothbrush?" Jack asked with a gleam in his eye.  
  
"What else do I need?" she quipped.  
  
And as they got into the car, Jack just knew that he was going to have a lot to thank Jonas for when he saw him in the morning.  
  
  
  
Sam Carter's first thought as she began to wake up was that she ached. Her second was that there was a warm body spooned around her from behind. Hmm, a warm, naked, definitely male body, her brain supplied as consciousness began to creep in. And a man's hand resting on her ribcage just below her breasts. Whoa! She was naked, too. At that point she was alert enough that the previous evening came flooding back into memory. Oh, yeah. Definitely achy. But so worth it, she smiled as the lips that had been pressed into her neck began to kiss and nibble their way across her shoulder.  
  
In the end, they had never made it to Las Vegas, stopping instead at the first upscale hotel that they had seen on their way there. Jack had gone in to see if he could get them a room, while Sam had waited in the car with a million thoughts racing through her head. She was going to need a dress for tomorrow. And shoes. She should really get something sexy to wear for her wedding night. Which brought her mind screeching back to the present. Wow, she was going to have sex. With Jack. He was inside getting a hotel room so they could have sex. It had been so long she found herself squirming in her seat at just the thought. She regretted the fact that she only had on plain white underwear. She really wanted him to see her in something less boring.  
  
Then Jack had returned, and in a matter of minutes they had arrived at their room. He had slid the key into the slot, and carried their bags into the room while she found the light switch, and locked the door behind them. When she turned around he was standing by the King size bed looking at her. She took a nervous step forward, and so did he. She really hadn't needed to worry about what she was wearing. The instant his lips met hers their clothes had been removed so fast that to this day she couldn't tell you what he was wearing under his khaki's. Boxers of some sort that she had made short work of.   
  
They had finally managed to slow things down after that, taking time to explore each other's bodies. Sam had had some pretty x-rated fantasies about Jack O'Neill over the years, so it was amazing that she wasn't disappointed. If anything, it had been better than in her imagination. Just as fantastically intense, but at the same time more gentle and loving. And Holy Hannah the things that man could do with his hands. Now she felt desire racing through her again as his hands joined his lips in their exploration, and she turned in his arms determined to remind him exactly how much she loved him.   
  
It was another hour before they finally forced themselves out of bed. They had arraigned to meet the gang for breakfast at The Luxor where they were staying. (Jonas had insisted on the place) Despite deciding to share a shower, they had made it there within five minutes of the appointed time. Jonas waved them over to where the four were impatiently waiting. Cassie was out of her chair in a flash, and hugging Sam.  
  
"Let me see the ring!" she insisted. "Wow, nice work Uncle Jack. Sam wait until you see the dresses Mom and I found. And we found a great one for you, too. They are holding it for you."   
  
While Cassie prattled on, Janet was observing her best friend. Sam and Jack were holding hands, and if Sam looked any more content Janet swore she would start purring. She turned her attention to Jack. She didn't think she had ever seen him so relaxed. And he couldn't keep his eyes off of Sam. Satisfied that her two friends were truly happy, she decided to save them from her daughter.  
  
"Congratulations, you two. Cassie, let them sit down so that we can order breakfast, and catch them up on everything we have done so far," she said, giving Sam a look that clearly said that they would talk privately later. She couldn't wait to here the details of the previous evening.  
  
"Yeah, congratulations! This is so exciting!" Jonas exclaimed with that ever present smile. Besides being his first time to Las Vegas, this was going to be his first Earth wedding.  
  
"O'Neill, Major Carter, we are extremely happy that you have finally found a way to be together," Teal'c added.   
  
"Thanks, guys! I'm so glad that you all came. I couldn't believe it when Jack told me you were here. It just wouldn't be right getting married without you," Sam said smiling at her friends in delight.  
  
"We wouldn't have missed it for the world, Sam," Janet stated. "Now, let's sort out what still needs to be done."  
  
Since Teal'c and Jonas had brought suits for themselves and Jack's dress blues from home, only the three ladies needed to shop for clothes. Janet and Cassie had their dresses taken care of, but still needed accessories. It was decided that they would take Sam to see the dress they had found for her, and then they would all go look for shoes and anything else they needed. Jack's mission was to shop for wedding rings, while Jonas was going to go over to the Flamingo Hotel and finalize the plans for the ceremony. The Flamingo had a garden that they performed the ceremonies in, and they had an opening for that afternoon. Jonas was given a list of services to ask the hotel to arrange, including a photographer and flowers. Teal'c was personally given the task of reserving a Honeymoon Suite by Jack.  
  
"Money is no object, T. Find us the best you can on short notice," he was instructed.  
  
Jonas and Teal'c were both told to phone Jack on his cell phone if they needed his credit card, and they all set a time and place to meet for lunch. When they met up again, all tasks had been completed, and the six were able to have a leisurely lunch before heading off to collect everything. The Flamingo was providing two rooms for them to use for changing, so that made everything easy. Jack had thoughtfully made dinner reservations for after the ceremony at a restaurant at Caesar's Palace. Sam had even had time to shop for lingerie, picking out a skimpy bit of black lace that had made Janet blush, and caused her to cover Cassie's eyes. Janet really needed to get Sam alone and find out what had happened the night before.  
  
Finally, thirty minutes before the ceremony, they were all getting dressed, when Janet realized she had no tissue. Cassie was dispatched to the gift shop, and Janet finally had her chance to corner Sam.  
  
"So, I need to know everything!" she demanded.  
  
Sam sighed. She knew there was no sense in arguing. So she told Janet about Jack showing up out of the blue, and how he was so nervous that she had been sure that he had come to tell her he had changed his mind. How he had reassured her, and then totally blown the proposal. Janet rolled her eyes at that point and laughed. It was so very Jack. Sam's voice softened as she told Janet about the second try, and her acceptance. She ended by saying "and then we called you."  
  
"Oh no, you don't. You are *so* not ending it there!" Janet complained. "What happened after that? I assume you spent the night together?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Sam admitted blushing. "We started out heading here, but we only made it as far as a hotel on the north edge of town."  
  
Janet laughed, but refused to let Sam off the hook. "And?"  
  
"And it was incredible, fantastic, the best I've ever had or even dreamed about! Satisfied?" Sam exclaimed, now totally embarrassed.  
  
"No, but I think you are," Janet chuckled.  
  
"Very," Sam admitted. "I'll be even happier in an hour. I can't believe this is happening."  
  
"I'm so thrilled for you, Sam. Both you and the Colonel deserve all of the happiness you can get," Janet said pulling her in for a hug. "Where the heck is Cassie with those tissues?"  
  
The ceremony was beautiful despite being put together quickly. (And with the help of two aliens) Teal'c proudly walked Sam through the garden to the gazebo and then took his place along with Jonas to stand up along side of Jack. Janet and Cassie looked lovely in their lavender dresses, which were perfect for the garden setting. And Jack O'Neill looked imposing in his dress blues, causing several of the hotel's staff and guests to pause to take in the site. They were all spellbound when Sam arrived, positively floating in her simple white dress. Janet and Cassie used every bit of the tissue as the two officers took their vows.  
  
Later, they sipped champagne as they enjoyed their dinner. Since neither Teal'c nor Jonas was familiar with the custom, it was left to Janet to make the toast.  
  
"To Sam and Jack. May you be poor in misfortune, and rich in blessings. May you live to see your children's children. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward."  
  
"That was lovely, Thank you Janet," Sam beamed.  
  
Then Jack raised his glass. "I would like to toast our four dear friends. Sam and I consider each of you family. Our day was made even more special by being able to share it with you. Thank you for you support and for all of your help to pull this off."   
  
After dinner they parted. Sam and Jack headed off to the suite that Teal'c had reserved for them at The Venetian Resort. The other four headed back to the Luxor, promising to pick up the wedding pictures before they flew back to Colorado Springs the next day. Jack was thrilled when he saw the suite. Teal'c had outdone himself. There was a fireplace, and a huge Whirlpool tub. So while Sam went to change, Jack took off his uniform jacket, tie and shoes, and lit a fire in the fireplace. He had just poured two glasses of champagne, when his wife emerged, almost causing him to drop his glass. Major Sam Carter was nowhere to be found. Instead in front of him stood a blonde vision in the most incredibly sexy wisp of black lace he had ever seen. He put his glass down with an unsteady hand, and then turned to stare at her.   
  
"Wow!" he finally managed.  
  
Sam walked over to him and as she moved more tantalizing glimpses of flesh were revealed. She lifted her arms around his neck and rubbed up against him.  
  
"Have mercy, Sam. You are dealing with an old man here," Jack croaked as she tormented him by sliding her hands down his back and pressing him closer against her body.   
  
"You seem to be doing just fine flyboy," she said as her hands grabbed his butt and pressed his obvious arousal into her. "I see you brought your sidearm."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin.  
  
"Well let's see if we can get some target practice in," she murmured as her lips met his.  
  
And those were the last coherent words spoken for the rest of the evening.  
  
Monday morning found Sam Carter in her lab at Groom Lake bright and early. She had worked out those pesky calculations on her lap-top late the previous evening, and now she just needed to load them onto the lab PC. When Colonel Barton and Doctor Conrad arrived, she was sipping her coffee and humming some nameless tune while she waited for the upload to complete.  
  
"You seem to be in a good mood this morning Major," Colonel Barton commented. He was pleasantly surprised since he had left a decidedly grumpy Major on Friday.   
  
"Yes, sir. I fixed the calculations. I think you will find that we are getting the proper output from the simulations now, sir," she said with a small smile.  
  
"Good job, Major. I'm sorry if you had to work over the weekend," he said.  
  
"No problem, sir. I managed to get into Las Vegas and have some fun," she replied.  
  
"Did you win or lose, Major?" the Colonel asked.  
  
"Oh, I won, sir. I definitely won." 


	7. Discoveries

Title: "Discoveries"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Season: Season 6, Immediately after Memento  
  
Author's Notes: We all loved that look at the end of Memento. So I just had to go back and let them have some fun on Tangea.   
  
They had been back on Tangea for three days and Jack O'Neill had barely seen his wife. After returning to Earth after their initial encounter, it had taken two days for Carter to assemble the people and parts that she needed to make the repairs to the Hyper drive's buffer. Then Sg1 along with a gaggle of Carter's geeks and two F.R.E.D.s loaded to overflowing had returned. Their welcome this time had been much more pleasant. Carter and crew had set to work. Then Teal'c and Jonas had headed off with Tarek to try to uncover as much of the planet's lost history as possible. Which left Jack O'Neill to, well, play diplomat. At least he had gotten along well with Chairman Ashwan during that first tense visit, so although he disliked hanging around and talking to the government officials, he was enjoying his time spent talking alone to the Chairman, and meeting his family.   
  
Today he and the rest of his team had been invited to dinner with Ashwan and his wife. Jonas and Teal'c had gone off on a field trip with a couple of the Tangean historians and were not expected back until late. Jack was determined to make Sam take a break however. He had been surprised to find after their marriage, that he still had to drag Sam away from her lab most days. He had always assumed that the reason she spent so much time there was that she had no life. But he had come to realize that she just loved her worked. When they were back at the SGC, getting her to leave was pretty easy. They were newlyweds after all. So he would just poke his head in and get her attention, and she wouldn't need much prodding to shut down whatever she was working on and head home with him. But here they were technically on a mission, and they were assigned separate quarters on the ship, so he knew she was overworking and not getting to bed until exhaustion had overtaken her. Tonight he would make sure she ate and slept.  
  
He set off from the city center and headed back to the Prometheus to collect Sam, and change from his BDUs into something more comfortable for dinner. Both he and Carter had brought their dress blues for the state dinner the following night, but Jonas had instructed them to bring along something more casual in case they did any other socializing. Now Jack was glad he had followed the suggestion. He found Sam in the engine room, where they had just finished the installation of the new buffer. She was talking to Colonel Renson giving him an update, and something in her body language made him pause just out of sight and listen in.   
  
"Colonel, I am very flattered, but – " she was saying.  
  
"Sam, I don't think we need to worry about protocol out here. Call me William. And I can talk to O'Neill if you are worried about anyone having a problem with you seeing me. Please have dinner with me tonight," the Colonel pleaded cutting off anything further she was going to say.   
  
Sam barely suppressed a chuckle. Now there was a conversation she would love to overhear. Renson asking O'Neill for permission to date his wife. She knew Jack well enough to know he would get a perverse joy out of winding up the Colonel before he shut him down. The thought appealed to her immensely.   
  
"I think that would be a good idea, sir. Let me know what he says," Sam replied much to Jack's surprise.  
  
Then he realized something. The woman he had married had a wicked sense of humor and combined with her intelligence that made her very scary. He had always suspected it. Now he had confirmation. He was going to have one heck of a time keeping up with her. Of course he had a few ideas of his own for keeping her just as off balance. Yep, life with her was going to be an adventure, and not just when they were off exploring the universe.   
  
So he stepped into view and joined in the conversation. "What who says about what?" he said keeping a straight face despite the laughter he saw dancing in his wife's eyes.   
  
"Colonel Renson was asking me to join him for dinner tonight, but I told him I didn't think it would be appropriate," Sam said, backing down slightly. Getting Jack jealous when they still had a return flight ahead of them suddenly didn't seem like the smartest thing she could do.  
  
"Far be it from me to interfere in the Major's social life," Jack started out saying, loving the way Sam's eyes widened in panic before he continued. "But the Major already has plans for this evening. She's been invited to dine with Chairman Ashwan and his wife. And she's right. It would be extremely inappropriate for her to go to dinner with you, Renson."  
  
"I didn't think you were that much of a by the book guy, Jack. Besides it's not like she is under my command or anything." Renson commented.   
  
Jack looked at Sam for approval before replying. "You are right, I am not much for following the rules, but I am a pretty old fashioned husband, and I just don't like the idea of my wife dating."  
  
Colonel Renson was momentarily speechless. When he finally did speak it was with a wry smile. "I don't blame you, Jack. Sorry I had no idea."  
  
"No problem. We haven't been married very long, and we don't exactly broadcast the fact when we are in the field," Jack said. "Sam, why don't you shower and change for dinner."  
  
"Yes, sir," she said, and left the two men alone.  
  
"Sir?" Renson commented.  
  
"You don't know how much I used to hate the word," Jack acknowledged with a grin.  
  
"And now?" Renson asked.  
  
"It's a habit, and she refuses to call me Jack in the field. Besides, I can't break myself of calling her Carter most of the time, either," Jack admitted.  
  
"Well, Congratulations. You know that you are a lucky S.O.B, right?" Renson quipped.  
  
"Oh, yeah," O'Neill agreed grinning. "I'd better get a move on. I need to shower and change too and Carter is amazingly fast for a woman."  
  
When he stopped by Sam's quarters she was ready to go. She gave him a glare as they headed out. "I thought for a minute there you were going to leave me hanging," she said with a sigh.  
  
"I should have, you would have deserved it." He said smiling.  
  
A small grin escaped. "Yeah, but you so loved telling him I was your wife, didn't you?"  
  
"You can't blame me. I spent years watching guys fall all over you and not being able to do a damn thing about it. Now that I can, I am going to enjoy every minute of it," Jack said.  
  
"You do know that none of them were ever anything more than friends, don't you?" Sam asked, amazed that he had ever thought he had anything to worry about.  
  
"None of them?" he inquired  
  
"None of them," she repeated firmly.  
  
Dinner ended up being a relaxed, enjoyable affair. The two couples had talked about everything from the types of sports played on the two planets, to women's role in their societies. After dinner as they sipped a glass of what passed for the local wine, Ashwan's wife Muriel asked Sam about the items she was wearing around her neck, wondering whether they were a team symbol, or had another meaning. Besides their dog tags, both Sam and Jack wore their wedding rings on their chains. (Sam's engagement ring was left at home)  
  
"Actually, these two are an identification used by our military. The two tags are identical, and each has my id number, and my blood type in case I need treatment in the field," Sam explained.  
  
"And the ring?" Muriel asked.  
  
"It is my wedding ring. Normally at home I would wear it on my left hand, but we are not allowed to wear jewelry in the field," Sam commented, rubbing a finger over the slight indentation on her left hand.  
  
"You are married, Major? It must be very difficult to be separated from your husband for such long periods of time," the Chairman commented. "What about you Colonel? Do you have a spouse?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Jack said, pulling out his dog tags to display his matching wedding band.  
  
The Chairman did not see the significance, but his wife made the connection quickly.  
  
"They are identical, I should have guessed!" she laughed, then explained to her husband who was looking confused. "They are wed to each other, dear."  
  
"Really? Colonel, I am most interested in discussing this with you. We are just beginning to allow women into our military, and relationships out in the field are an issue we are struggling with," the Chairman explained.  
  
"Yeah, join the club. Our military has a whole set of regulations that are supposed to govern relationships, especially those between officers. Only problem is, you can't order two people not to fall in love," Jack said.  
  
"That is what I am always telling him!" Muriel laughed.  
  
"I'd be happy to sit down and talk about this with you. I have a lot of practical experience since Carter has been my 2IC for six years," Jack admitted with a wry smile.   
  
"How many of those years have you been married?" Ashwan asked.  
  
"Oh, it took us almost all six to finally figure it all out. We've only been married for two months," Sam said with a chuckle.  
  
"Novices!" Muriel said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "We have many traditions here on Tangea for novice spouses. For example, it is customary for their friends to make a lot of noise under their bedroom windows the first month that they are wed."  
  
"A shivaree. That custom on Earth has not survived in our hometown thank goodness!" Sam exclaimed. "We barely ever get home to sleep as it is."  
  
They spent another pleasant half hour discussing wedding rituals, and then Sam and Jack headed back to Prometheus. On the walk back, it was Sam who brought up the question on both their minds.  
  
"So are we keeping to separate quarters tonight?" she asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.  
  
Jack chuckled. They had agreed to no fraternization on missions, and they kept strictly to that off-world when they needed to stay alert. Even though this was hardly a standard mission, he was surprised that Sam was the one to break down and suggest they forgo their rule.   
  
"Miss me already? It's only been three days," Jack teased.  
  
Sam just rolled her eyes, then reached for him and pulled his head down the couple of inches needed to give him a kiss that made his knees go weak.  
  
"Ok, I vote we lock ourselves in the VIP quarters. After all we are supposed to be doing a thorough shake-down of the vessel, and I don't think anyone has inspected them yet." Jack said with a grin when he finally came up for air.  
  
The next day was a busy one. Sam supervised the simulations on the Warp drive, which all were looking good. Hopefully they would be able to head home in a couple of days. Jonas and Teal'c were back, and giving the Tangean scientists a crash course in the ABC's of gate travel, including a list of safe planets.  
  
O'Neill, after moving both his and Sam's things into the VIP quarters they had used the night before, spent the rest of the day meeting with Chairman Ashwan and Commander Tomak who had replaced Kalfas. The man had a good head on his shoulders and he and Jack hit it off immediately, sharing military strategies, and discussing the role of women in the military. Tomak had not yet met Major Carter, but was looking forward to doing so that evening, as he was quite impressed with what he had heard of the woman.  
  
That night was the formal dinner that had been planned to celebrate the new alliance between Tangea and  
  
Earth. The SGC would be sending scientific and negotiating teams through the gate over the next several months to work out the specifics of trade, but tonight was the official event to acknowledge the new friendship. SG1, along with Colonel Renson and Major Gant all mingled, sitting at different tables during dinner, and chatting with the Tangean officials afterwards. Carter and Gant were especially popular out on the dance floor as some of the younger single men attempted to teach them the local dance steps. Jack watched in amusement as Sam was spun around by a particularly energetic partner.   
  
"I thought you didn't like your wife dating, Jack," Renson commented with a smile.  
  
"I don't think that qualifies as a date. More like torture. I do think that I am going to have to rescue her soon, or I will be sleeping back in my own quarters tonight," Jack chuckled.  
  
Chairman Aswan overheard the conversation, and when that particular dance was done he made a point of asking the ladies to show the assembled crowd a dancing style from Earth. Sam explained to the band the type of beat they would need, and the two Colonels were pressed into service. Renson and Gant danced together keeping a modest distance apart, and dancing with measured, even steps. O'Neill and Carter however stepped in close to each other, and Jack took one of Sam's hands and trapped it with his on his chest. His other arm went around to the small of her back, pulling her in close. Sam's free arm wrapped itself around him letting her fingers come to rest where they could run through the bottom edge of his hair and rest on the back of his neck. With a sigh they began to sway to the music, cheek to cheek.   
  
Several of the Prometheus crewmembers found partners among the Tangeans and led them out to show them the basic steps. There was a lot of laughter and encouraging calls from the crowd as their friends tried out the unfamiliar dance. But the real crowd-pleaser came towards the end of the song as suddenly Colonel Jack O'Neill swung Major Sam Carter around the floor in perfect ballroom style, and then dipped her in a move worthy of Fred Astaire.   
  
As he raised her back up to stand nose to nose with him, she looked him in the eye and saw those brown eyes sparkling with laughter. Darn it. She had known the man for six years. How had she not known that he could dance? Then she couldn't help but smile. She loved the fact that he could still surprise her like that. She wondered how many other little secrets there still were for her to discover.  
  
Almost as if he could read her mind he whispered in her ear, "I can't let you in on all of my hidden talents at once, Sam. I need a few to keep you off balance."  
  
She laughed at that. She had spent most of her life totally in control. She kind of liked 'off balance'. Thankfully she had a few secrets of her own that he had yet to uncover, too. After all, they pretty much lived on take-out when they were at home.   
  
She couldn't wait to see his face the day he discovered she was a gourmet cook. 


	8. Under Surveillance

Title: "Under Surveillance"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
At first Sam figured she was just being paranoid. But as the feeling of being watched persisted, she decided to mention something to Jack. He was immediately concerned. He remembered all too well the desperate search for her when she had been kidnapped by Adrian Conrad. So he did a little surveillance of his own. What he discovered made him laugh.   
  
"Well you were right, he said to her one Saturday afternoon as they put the groceries away. "You are definitely being watched."  
  
"Damn! I was hoping I was being overly sensitive. Were you able to figure out who it is? Jack! The house could be bugged," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper.   
  
"I seriously doubt it," he chuckled. "Although it is a pretty organized group, they probably don't have the resources for that."  
  
"What do you know O'Neill?" She asked eyeing him suspiciously. He seemed amused by the whole thing.  
  
"Well, it seems that you are the hot topic of gossip around the entire neighborhood. I caught Liz Henek peeking out of her window at us when we left for the base yesterday morning, and Mrs. Eder was spying on us when we came back from the store this morning. So I went over and had a chat with Scott across the street. He said that his wife Lisa has been getting phone calls from all of the other women to see if she knows anything. Seems everyone on the block has noticed that you've been around a lot more the past few weeks, and they are speculating madly."  
  
Sam threw her hands in the air. "Great! We finally squash the rumor mill on the base, and now it starts all over at home! Did you tell Scott that we are married?"  
  
"Yeah, and he says congratulations," Jack said, fibbing slightly. Actually, Scott had slapped him on the back and congratulated him on his beautiful bride, as if Jack had reeled in a prize catch. Of course he would never tell Sam that part. "Hopefully they will spread the news and that will put an end to the spying."  
  
They should have known better. Jack O'Neill and his gorgeous blond wife became the center of every conversation between their neighbors. As the moms waited with their kids for the school bus in the mornings, new tidbits were a hot commodity. And it didn't go unnoticed by the wives that their husbands suddenly found yard work that needed to be done whenever their new neighbor was outside. Since poor Scott had been the source of the information that Sam and Jack were married, he and Lisa were pumped at every opportunity for more facts. Finally they bowed to the pressure, and invited the newlyweds over for dinner. Sam and Jack agreed, since Sam really did want to meet a few of her new neighbors, and maybe this would help get things back to normal.  
  
A week later Jack O'Neill walked though the front door of their house and unloaded his flight bag and jacket with a sigh. He had spent the last three days at Wright/Patterson giving Level 4 hand-to-hand combat training to a group of airman who were all at least two decades younger than him, and he was feeling every one of his forty-seven years.   
  
"Jack?" he heard his wife call from the kitchen at the sound of the door closing. And then she was standing there, looking slightly mussed and wearing old jeans that were faded and an old airforce T-shirt, both of which hugged every curve. There was a streak of what looked like flour on her cheek, and she was wiping her hands on a towel, which she quickly tossed aside. She looked fantastic. And as he folded her into his arms he realized that she smelled wonderful too. The usual Sam Carter wonderful, with a bit of chocolate and something he couldn't quite put his finger on added in. Then she was kissing him, and her hands were doing things that suddenly made him feel more like seventeen than forty-seven.  
  
Two hours later, after they had made love and showered, he padded down to the kitchen to get some lunch. There in the fridge was a work of art. Some sort of cake, with chocolate, and whipped cream, and cherries. His hand reached out automatically to snag a bit of the cream only to be slapped by his wife.  
  
"Don't you even think about it Jack O'Neill. That is for our dinner with the Larsons tonight. Here," she said as she pulled a bowl out from the lower shelf. "I saved you the extra whipped cream"  
  
"Mmm, thanks! If I had known that we could have put it to good use about an hour ago," he said waggling his eyebrows. "Wow! You *made* this cake?"  
  
"Yes. It was my Mom's recipe," she said with a sad smile. "I haven't made it in years."  
  
"It looks incredible. Isn't it a bit much for the four of us though?" he asked.  
  
"Eight of us," she corrected. "Scott and Lisa invited two other couples. The Heneks and the Alberts. So it will be an all out inquisition," she sighed.  
  
"Hey, at least they won't have ribbon devices and pain sticks!" he quipped, earning a mock glare from Sam.  
  
"With the Goa'uld I'd have weapons to fight back with," she complained.  
  
"You'll be fine. Just think of it like any other first contact mission, and you'll wow them. You always do," he smiled giving her a kiss on her forehead.  
  
And she did. The men had been instantly infatuated, which didn't surprise Jack in the least. That was pretty much a universal constant. It was the women that Jack had worried about. Oh, they tried not to like her. Especially after seeing their husband's initial reactions to those bright blue eyes, and that dazzling smile. But it soon became clear to them that Sam Carter had eyes for only one man in the room, and that let them relax and get to know her. Liz Henek was a high school physics teacher, and on finding out about Sam's physics background the ice had been broken. After that the conversation had flown freely, and soon it was time for dessert to be served. The woman had swooned over Sam's incredibly rich Black Forest Cake, and Jack silently thought it was the best cake he had ever had. (And he *was* something of a cake expert) Later when he walked into the kitchen to get a refill of coffee he found his wife swapping recipes with the other women as they cleared the dishes, and knew she had been officially accepted into the neighborhood. He gave her a wink, grabbed his coffee and headed back out to join the guys.  
  
And then it hit him. Since when did Sam have recipes? 


	9. TBall

Title: "T-Ball"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Jack O'Neill hadn't thought about the dream in years. He never had gone in for all of that psychic crap anyway, so he had always dismissed his dream as pure coincidence. Now after Jonas' little sideshow act foreseeing the future coupled with Jack's new dream of the last 3 nights, well he had to wonder.  
  
The original dream had begun almost 18 years ago. He had had the same dream every night for weeks.   
  
He hadn't minded, it was a very pleasant dream. Then he had been sent off on that hellish mission that had resulted in him fracturing his skull when his chute opened late and the dream had stopped. Years later he had come to a moment in his life that he realized was his dream. To the letter. Coincidence he told himself.  
  
It had always been exactly the same. He was sitting in the stands at a T-ball game. At the plate stood a six year old, with a T-shirt that proclaimed he was a member of the 'TIGERS' on the front in bold letters, and that he was 'O'NEILL 22' on the back. A helmet that was a size too large hid the upper half of the child's face. The ball was pitched by an adult, giving the child three strikes before a Tee was brought out to place the ball on. From the very first time he had dreamed all of this, Jack knew the rules. Even though he had never been to a T-ball game before. The child swung hard at the first two pitches, missing wildly. On the third pitch, however, he connected with the ball and off he ran. His little legs pumped wildly as the children in the field tried to chase down the ball rolling between them. The runner made it all the way to third base, and his coach waved him on home. As he crossed the plate, Jack was cheering madly. He turned to the woman who was on her feet next to him, Sara, and gave her a hug. Then he turned back to give his son who had now removed his helmet and walked around to his team's bench a big thumbs-up. Charlie's first home run.   
  
And it *was* Charlie. Months before he had even been conceived, Jack had conjured up exactly what six- year-old Charlie O'Neill would look like. In reality, the day of Charlie's first home run, after giving Charlie the thumbs-up, Jack had sat back down slightly shaken up. Then Sara had said something to him and he had snapped out of it. Weird as it was, it wasn't the type of thing he dwelled on.  
  
Now he wondered if it had been a coincidence. He hoped not, because his new dream was mind blowing.  
  
Three nights ago after the first occurrence, he had been slightly freaked out. Now however, he couldn't help but walk around with a huge grin on his face, which was seriously scaring the SF's and confusing Sam. He really should tell her about the dream.  
  
It started out almost exactly the same as the old dream, except the team name on the jersey was now the 'ANGELS' and the player number had changed to '16'. It still said O'NEILL on the back, though, and the helmet was still a size too big. Then Jack noticed other differences. He was sitting on a folding chair instead of in the stands (getting old there O'Neill, he thought) and he realized at some point that there was a child in his lap. A little girl of about three with brown curly hair and big brown eyes.   
  
The batter connected on the second pitch this time, with a resounding crack of the bat. And the ball sailed over the heads of all of the opposing team. Little legs once again sped off around the bases, and once again the coach waved home the runner. At this point Jack rose to his feet, still holding on to the girl in his arms. The runner touched home base and threw off her helmet to reveal blond pigtails and a smile that was extremely familiar. His daughter's first home run. He grinned back at her and gave her the thumbs-up. Then he turned to the woman at his side, now also on her feet cheering. Sam. A very pregnant Sam. She reached over smiling a smile that exactly matched the one sported by his daughter as she had crossed the plate, and gave him a kiss. She tickled the little girl in his arms, and as she did so he felt something jab him in the ribs.   
  
"Oops, sorry. The boys are having their own little T-ball game in there today," she laughed.   
  
Jack did the math. Two girls and twin boys. He had been teasing Sam when he said he wanted four kids. Still, now after he'd had a couple of days to get used to the idea, he was no longer freaking out. And only one word came to mind.  
  
Sweet. 


	10. Homerun

Title: "Homerun"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Author's Notes: First of all, this has absolutely nothing to do with Baseball. As a point of reference, 'The Simpsons' is currently in its 14th season.   
  
Sam hoped that the third time really would be the charm. Twice before she had scheduled a lunch date with Jack's ex-wife Sara, only to have unexpected missions get in the way. This time, with her arm still in a sling from the injury she had received from the generator's capacitor overload, she was restricted to light duty for a week. Since Hammond had promised the Academy that she would come and lecture as soon as she had any free time, she was going to make good on that promise, and have lunch with Sara. She had to admit that she was a bit nervous, but she was also anxious to gather a few details on Jack's life before they had met.  
  
Sara was also a bit nervous. Her fiancée, Will was extremely impressed with the woman that Jack had married, going so far as to call her brilliant. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of work they were doing in that mountain that teamed up a super intelligent astrophysicist with a Special Ops trained soldier like Jack. If that incident five years ago was any indication, it was something straight out of a sci-fi movie.   
  
She had decided to arrive early, and try to catch the last hour of Major Carter's morning lecture. Will had told her to stop by his office and he would join her as his morning class ended at 10:30. When they entered the lecture hall it was packed, with the only open seats being in the back two rows. Obviously the Major was a popular lecturer.   
  
The morning's topic was on the board. 'Quantum Theory'. Sara was clueless, but Will seemed excited. They settled into seats and listened as questions and answers were tossed about. Suddenly Sam picked up a marker and drew a line on the board.  
  
"Think of this line as your life to-date. Several years ago, you made a decision to join the Airforce and attend the Academy. If you had made a different choice you would not be sitting in this lecture hall today. According to Quantum Theory, that decision point caused an alternate universe to be created that parallels ours, but differs in ways caused by your decision," she explained as she drew a line off of the original one towards the right end at a slight angle. She moved to further to the left along the line and added several more lines angling off the original. "Other decisions you or your parents made during your life caused other alternate universes. Perhaps you lived in a different house and attended a different high school. You made different friends. You could even have died in one of these multi-verses," she continued.  
  
More questions followed. Formulas and reference materials were written on the board. Most of it went over Sara's head. But she understood the basics. The idea was mind boggling, and a thought occurred to her. Were the Jack and Charlie that she had encountered all of those years ago some sort of alternate reality versions of her husband and son?  
  
Sara and Will waited while Sam chatted with a few lingering students. Then Will stepped forward and enthusiastically congratulated her on a great lecture.   
  
"I wish I could have sat in on the entire morning. What I heard was fascinating."  
  
"Thank you professor. It seemed to be received well. Sara it's good to see you. I hope I didn't bore you to tears," Sam said with a smile.  
  
"Not at all. I won't pretend to have understood it all, but the idea of parallel universes is intriguing," Sara replied, saving her real questions for when they were alone at lunch.   
  
Shortly, Sam and Sara were seated at a restaurant a couple of blocks from the Academy, sipping iced tea. Both were finding it difficult to begin the conversation. Finally Sara questioned Sam on her injury.  
  
"Oh, I had a little disagreement with electricity. Jack keeps telling me electricity will win every time. But in my work I always seem to be taking apart things that like to give me a jolt," Sam said with a chuckle, glad she didn't have to lie about how she had been hurt.   
  
"So what is the topic for this afternoon?" Sara inquired. "More Quantum Theory?"  
  
"No, something a little less theoretical," Sam replied. "This afternoon we take on Black Holes."  
  
"Less theoretical, but no less confusing," Sara said with a grimace. "Actually, I was wondering just how theoretical the alternate universes really are," she continued. "After all, I've seen a Jack and Charlie that were definitely not *my* Jackie and Charlie."  
  
Sam Carter's eyes widened. Sara was certainly no fool, even if she was off base on this one. "They weren't from an alternate reality, I *can* tell you that Sara," she said after checking that no one was within hearing range.  
  
"Oh. I was sort of hoping that maybe Charlie was alive out there in some parallel universe," Sara said with a sigh of disappointment.   
  
Sam wished she could offer the woman the comfort of confirming that thought, but settled for saying, "Maybe he is, Sara."  
  
Sara nodded. "Jack was a great father, when he was around," she acknowledged. "Have you two talked about having children?"  
  
Sam Carter blushed, but answered truthfully. "Yes, we have. We would both love to have kids. If everything works out we probably will soon."  
  
Sara decided to let it go at that. She smiled at Sam, and with an evil glint in her eye said, "So. I suppose you want some good ammunition to use on Jack."  
  
Sam chuckled. "I can use everything you are willing to tell. The man absolutely loves to keep secrets."  
  
An hour later, Sam's head was spinning with information. She had thought before that Jack O'Neill had seen way too much death during his lifetime. She hadn't known the half of it. Both of his parents had died before they were 60. His father had had a heart attack just before Jack met Sara. His mother died of cancer a year after they married. His one sibling, a sister named Colleen, had died in a car crash just after Charlie was born, leaving behind a husband and a two year-old daughter. Jack and Sara had been close to their niece until Charlie's death. Sara still talked to her occasionally. Megan was eighteen, and about to graduate from high school in Chicago. The only other living relatives that Jack was close to were an Aunt and Uncle. They lived in Minnesota, and Sara said that according to the Christmas cards they still exchanged that Jack stopped in occasionally to see them when he was up at his cabin.  
  
After imparting all of the family background, they had started in on the fun stuff. Exchanging tales of their favorite embarrassing Jack O'Neill moments. Sara had loved the story of the day Sam had met Jack, and how he had reacted to having a scientist on his team. Sam had found Sara's recounting of Jack's first attempts at diapering and bathing Charlie endearing. She had laughed when Sara told her that Jack had originally injured his knees trying to impress her with his skating abilities, only to be brought down by a five year-old crashing into him. But the piece of information that Sam was storing away for future use was the knowledge of Jack's old Airforce nickname. Twenty years ago, when Sara had first met him, his Airforce buddies had dubbed Jack 'Homerun' because of his legendary success with the ladies.  
  
Sam didn't think she would ever be able to watch The Simpsons with her husband again. Because of course his buddies had shortened the name. Jack O'Neill was the original 'Homer'. 


	11. Good Things

Title: "Good Things"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Sam Carter hung up the phone with a frown creasing her brow. She had really been hoping that Jack would be able to get home for at least the weekend. But he was right. With the Special Forces unit that he had been debriefing at Lackland due to ship out to Kuwait on Saturday morning, and a second unit due to arrive on Sunday for a similar week of tactical review, it didn't make sense for him to try to fly home for only 24 hours. After a moment of thought she reached for the phone and made a couple of calls.   
  
On Friday night the Officer's Club at Lackland was at it's busiest. Jack O'Neill sat at the bar nursing his second beer, and watching the activity around him with a heavy heart. He felt very old. The room was full of vibrant twenty-something young Lieutenants, interspersed with an occasional slightly older Captain or Major. Only a few of the higher ranking officers ventured in here on Friday's, most going home to their families. Jack had figured it would be better than moping around in his quarters. Now he wasn't so sure.   
  
Just then a couple of the men from the unit he had been debriefing all week stepped up to the bar to order drinks.  
  
"Colonel," they nodded in respect.  
  
"Jenson, Phillips," he nodded back.  
  
"Not interested in dancing, Sir?" they inquired.  
  
Jack looked over at the dance floor where a group of energetic officers were dancing. If you could call it that.   
  
"Not really," he smirked.  
  
"Well, we are going to try our luck," Jenson said, and they worked their way over to where a group of women were sitting. //Nurses from Kelly// he mentally bet.  
  
"I don't blame you Jack. I hardly think that what they are doing out there qualifies as dancing," a voice said from beside him. He turned to find Colonel Bridgton, the unit's commander.  
  
"Pull up a stool, Stan," Jack offered, signally the bartender to bring his colleague a drink.   
  
"Thanks. You stuck here for the weekend?" Stan asked.  
  
"Yeah. I have another unit coming in on Sunday for the dog and pony show," Jack quipped.   
  
"Christ, Jack. You're going to go over all of that again?" Stan asked in amazement. It had been grueling sitting and listening to some of the tactics that O'Neill had encountered twelve years ago in Iraq. He couldn't even imagine how taxing it must have been to spend a week recounting the horrors.  
  
Jack just nodded and took another sip of his beer.  
  
"Well if I were you, I'd have another beer, and go chat up one of those pretty Lieutenants over there. That's what I am going to do. Might as well enjoy life while we can," Stan said with a sad shake of his head.  
  
Jack looked over to where the women were seated, now surrounded by a group of men. Stan was right. They were pretty. But they didn't hold a candle to a certain blond, blue-eyed Major.   
  
"Go for it, Stan. I think I will finish this beer, and then head out," Jack said as Stan went off to join the growing group of males vying for a dance with the women.   
  
Jack was just reaching for his wallet when a discussion behind him caught his attention.   
  
"Wow! Who the heck is that?" one of the guys said, as another let out a wolf whistle.   
  
He followed their gaze and froze. His lips formed into a silent whistle of his own. Damn she was hot. Sam Carter had just walked into the club dressed in tight black leather pants and a white shirt that was barely visible beneath her open leather jacket. Her eyes scanned the bar area, until they met his, and then she smiled. For the first time in a week the tightness in Jack's chest began to ease, and he felt the darkness that had settled over him start to lift. His mouth started to twitch into a grin.  
  
The guys behind him started jockeying for position, and he heard at least one challenge being issued between buddies. His grin grew larger. He signaled the bartender for two more beers, and then turned to enjoy the view as his wife approached.   
  
She shrugged off a couple of attempts to get her to stop and chat, keeping her eye firmly on her objective. She saw him take two beers from the bartender and then turn to wait for her with a grin. Her smile grew wider. She hadn't been 100% sure that she should just come unannounced, but instinct had told her not to leave him alone for two solid weeks to wallow in bad memories. Now, seeing him watching her with eyes that were beginning to smolder, she was glad she had followed her instincts. She allowed her hips to sway just a bit as she closed the gap between them. Then she walked right up into his personal space, and nudged his knees apart so she could stand in between his legs.   
  
"Hey," she grinned.  
  
"Hey. Can a guy buy you a drink?" he grinned back.  
  
"Sure thing, Flyboy," she answered as she looped her arms around his neck. She leaned in to capture his lips and he heard the group behind him groan in frustration.   
  
Across the room Captain Jenson nudged his CO and pointed. Stan Bridgton looked over to see Jack O'Neill locking lips with a gorgeous blond dressed in black leather. He turned back to the men in his unit.  
  
"Gentlemen, that is a lesson on why, no matter what we encounter in the next few months, you *will* be ok. Because there are always good things in life to look forward to." 


	12. Tell Her

Title: "Tell Her (1/1)"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
They hadn't really fought. Sam had caught Jack in the locker room alone after the briefing and had asked the question he had been dreading.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about Daniel?"  
  
He had just spent two weeks dealing with old memories of Iraq, and the last thing he wanted to think about was anything to do with that other time he had been tortured. So he had avoided the issue, pushing it off to be dealt with later. (Or not)  
  
"Not now, Sam. We have a mission."  
  
He hadn't noticed the hurt look on her face as he had dashed out of the locker room, and she had of course been in her totally professional Major Carter mode during the mission, so he hadn't realized anything was wrong. Although one moment during the mission should have given him a clue. Ska'ra had been inviting him to his wedding, and had asked if Carter would be coming. Jack had fumbled trying to decide whether he should tell the kid that he and Carter were married or not, when Sam had stepped up and taken matters into her own hands.   
  
"Friends, going to a wedding."   
  
Ok, so not telling. That couldn't be good. Then the mission had gone to hell, and they had come back to total chaos. Sam had staked out a spot in the Control Room where she could re-dial Abydos every few hours, and when they had gotten a connection they had gone through to find the unthinkable. To say they had all been in shock when they came back would be an understatement. Now a week later, in typical Jack O'Neill fashion, he was finally beginning to realize that he had a serious problem.   
  
Jonas had been working on translating the tablet found on Abydos, and Sam had been doing some analysis on the rock to see if she could pinpoint it's origin. Two nights in a row she had called home at midnight to tell him she was exhausted and would just crash on base. After the second night, he headed into the mountain early so he could catch her before she left their base quarters, only to find she was already gone. So he had grabbed two cups of coffee and headed to her lab, where he found her asleep in her chair, head cradled on the arms folded on her desk. She had never even made it to bed, and he wasn't sure, but he thought she had been crying.   
  
He took both cups of coffee back to his office, deciding to let her sleep a bit longer, and come back to wake her later. In the mean time, he had some things to think about. He knew she was upset, but he knew he couldn't open up about his time with Ba'al. Not yet. Not even to her. So how did he resolve this? As he contemplated his options a large presence filled his doorway.  
  
"Hey, T," he said sipping his coffee, and flipping on his computer.  
  
"Major Carter is asleep in her lab again," Teal'c stated bluntly.  
  
Jack sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'll give her another half hour and then go wake her up."  
  
Teal'c nodded, then quietly added, "Tell her."  
  
Jack's head snapped up to look at the man towering above him. "I know she wants me to, but I can't talk about it Teal'c," he admitted wearily.   
  
"Major Carter is not upset that you won't talk about you're time with Ba'al, O'Neill," Teal'c observed.  
  
"She's not?" Now Jack was confused.  
  
"She's upset that you wouldn't even tell her that you couldn't talk about it yet. That's all that you need to do. Tell her everything you feel." And with that Teal'c nodded and left.  
  
He knew Teal'c was right. Sam understood that what had happened to him was so horrible that he couldn't talk about it yet. Heck, it had taken 12 years and Sam being there to seriously distract him before he had been able to discuss Iraq without falling apart. She had asked him a simple question. Why *hadn't* he told her about seeing Daniel. She deserved an answer. He really had thought Daniel was a hallucination. Why couldn't he just have told her that?  
  
Because for years he had kept everything inside. He wondered when that had started. When his father had died? When he'd had to start keeping large parts of his life secret because they were classified? Or was it as recent as when Charlie had died and he had shut down totally? He'd changed for the better in a lot of ways since joining the SGC, but he still didn't open up even to his teammates whom he considered his family, or to Sam whom he loved deeply. Heck, if Sam hadn't had lunch with Sara she wouldn't even know that his folks were dead. She could have asked him, but she shouldn't have *had* to.   
  
Eventually he got up and repeated his actions of earlier. Snagging two fresh cups of coffee, he headed to Sam's lab. This time he nudged her awake, and while she took a few sips of coffee to wake up he went over and closed the door. Then he turned around to take on one of the toughest challenges of his life.  
  
"Sam, we need to talk." 


	13. Bad Days

Title: "Bad Days"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Sam kept a calendar to note important dates. She had started the habit in high school. In those days it was a pocket-size calendar that she used to keep track of the birthdays of the friends she had made as she moved around. She kept in touch by sending birthday cards, letting old friends know where she was in the world. She had continued the habit while she was at the Academy, and in flight school, during her time in the Gulf, and her stint at the Pentagon. Eventually the pocket calendar had become an electronic one on her computer, and e-mails had replaced letters. But she still sent birthday cards via the post. There was just something nice about getting a card in your mailbox.  
  
When she had started at the SGC she had added the birthdays of her new teammates, although for Teal'c she'd had to calculate it, and the Colonel's had taken her weeks of intel gathering. Janet's and Cassie's had been added, again using a calculation to find the Earth date for Cassie. She even had Hammond's noted. She hadn't been on SG1 very long when she had started adding the bad days to her calendar. Days that she knew her friends would need a shoulder to lean on or some personal space. She started with the anniversary of Sha're and Daniel's marriage, and the anniversary of Sha're being kidnapped by Apophis. Since the two were a year and a week apart Daniel had always had a very bad week each year as the anniversaries rolled around. Eventually she had added the anniversary of Sha're's death. She also had Charlie's birthday and the date of his death marked, although it had taken a bit of research to get them. The date of Daniel's ascension was recorded, although she really didn't think she would need any reminder. She had also added the date of Shan'auc's death, and most recently Drey'auc's. The first anniversary of that one was coming up soon. She would need to make sure SG1 was on downtime somehow so that Teal'c could visit his son.  
  
Her bad days were not recorded anywhere. There was no need. If she was lucky they would pass while she was distracted by a mission. Last year she had been fortunate enough to be unconscious for the anniversary of her blending with Jolinar. Currently she was enjoying good health, and it was Saturday, so she was home for the weekend. Therefore there was nothing to distract her from the fact that her mom had died twenty-three years ago tomorrow. As she dried the dishes, she glanced over at her husband who was putting away the remains of their dinner. Jack had opened up a lot to her recently. Although he hadn't yet talked about his torture at Ba'al's hands, he had told her all about his conversation with Daniel while in captivity, and how Daniel had offered to help him ascend. She in turn had admitted that while she had been hurt that he hadn't offered any explanation as to why he had not told her about it before, she was really more upset with Daniel because he had never bothered to come to see her in his glowy state. And she was furious that he had offered to help Jack ascend rather than actually help him escape. Didn't he know how that would have devastated them? Especially her?  
  
But for all of that they still skirted around the subjects that gave them the most pain. Her mom and Charlie. She had been thinking about her mom a lot lately. As she had tried on her wedding dress for the first time with Cassie and Janet she had been overwhelmed with longing for her mom to be there. And every time she and Jack discussed having kids, she wished she could talk over her concerns about being a good mother with her own mom. She put away the last two dishes and sighed. Then two strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she was pulled into a warm embrace.  
  
Jack didn't keep a calendar of important dates. He didn't need to. There weren't that many good ones to keep track of and the bad ones were permanently etched in his mind, never to be forgotten. Besides, he knew she kept track of all of the rest of them. He had figured it out on the second anniversary of Sha're's kidnapping when Carter had asked for a couple of days of leave. Daniel had hightailed it though the gate to Abydos so fast it had made his head spin, and when he had figured out that Carter hadn't gone anywhere on her leave it had dawned on him what she had done. Then he had thought back and realized that in two years he had never missed his gravesite visits with Sara on Charlie's birthday or the anniversary of his death. Carter was manipulating their mission schedule. One time she had delayed a mission claiming she had a sensitive experiment that she was running in her lab. Another time she had suggested that they cut what was proving to be a fruitless mineral survey short as her instruments were indicating that a bad storm was moving in.  
  
Since he knew that she had the rest of the team covered, that left him to be sure he had her taken care of. He had been there for most of her bad days. Jolinar, the entity, Adrian Conrad. He knew that she liked to keep busy during the anniversary of those, so he did some manipulating of his own and tried to get them on missions during those timeframes. He had already known the date of her mom's death, because on the 20th anniversary Jacob had come through the gate and whisked her off to a memorial. He had eventually asked Jacob for the date of her mom's birthday, hoping he would think Jack was just being a good commanding officer.   
  
She had been quiet this evening, and he figured correctly that she was think of her mom. He knew from pictures that Sam looked a lot like her. He wondered what she had been like. Sam's stubbornness and quick wit were pure Jacob, but he was betting that her laugh that sometimes bordered on a giggle and her tendency to think too much came from her mom. He smiled at the thought and walked up to her and enfolded her in his arms. With a kiss to the top of her head he braved the topic.   
  
"So tell me about your mom."  
  
She turned in his arms with startled eyes, and then she smiled.   
  
"She would have loved you," she began. 


	14. Batteries

Title: "Batteries"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Major Sam Carter quickly assessed the situation. Her teammates were surrounded, but they were still in control. Several of the natives were eyeing Teal'c, but none of them had had the courage to actually engage him yet. Jonas was holding his own against two of the planet's inhabitants and her CO, although he had signaled her desperately for backup was in no real danger. Captain Wilson however was in way over his head. Making a quick decision, she moved to the Captain's side, quickly repelling the threat against him. She signaled him to move in next to Teal'c where he would be relatively safe. With a quick look at Jonas, who was enjoying this way too much, she maneuvered herself into a position to provide her CO with cover. This was going to be one long mission.   
  
She had been running interference from the moment they had met the natives of P2R-721. The man that had limped out to give them an official welcome, Council Secretary Henek, eventually explained the lack of adult males on the planet. It seemed that the planet, named Dorian, had been under Ra's control. Up until seven years ago, Ra's jaffa had made periodic raids on the population of Dorian, who all lived in a large valley ringed by mountains. The men had either died in the fighting, or had been captured and taken through the Stargate to be used as slaves or hosts. And while women had been captured as well, over the years the ratio of women to men over age 18 had skewed so that the women now outnumbered the men 4-1. And Sam Carter had helped deliver four gorgeous men into the middle of a population teaming with women on the hunt for an eligible male. Yep, going to be a very long mission.   
  
Now they were waiting in the square outside of the council chambers, as a curious crowd comprised mostly of females sauntered by, some brave enough to stop and try to strike up a conversation. The woman that had been chatting with the Colonel was now giving Sam the evil eye. O'Neill ventured a look at his 2IC. She was not finding this amusing. Given the male members of SG1's track record with alien women, he figured she was entitled to be worried. At least Daniel wasn't here. That would have been a sure recipe for disaster.  
  
Sam was keeping a watchful eye on the gathering crowd, occasionally throwing one of the women a look that was keeping all but the boldest of them away. She sighed in relief when the door to the council building opened and Henek motioned them to enter. Moments later they were standing before the council which was made up of three elderly males, and two women who both looked to be in their 50's. One of women stepped forward to greet them.   
  
"Now I can see what all of the fuss has been about. I am Councilwoman Linsak. Welcome to Dorian." She said with a smile.  
  
An hour later, Sg1 had permission to take soil samples. After receiving the news that Ra would never bother then again, the council had been happy to grant the team whatever they needed. As they left the populated valley behind and headed for the foothills, Sam felt slightly better. Now she could concentrate on the mission. When she had analyzed the tablet found on Abydos, she had discovered that it contained a rare mineral that they had only run across on one planet to date. They had already been back to P2S-566, and had found no clues that would lead them to the mysterious lost city of the Ancients. However she had come up with five other planets in that area of space that had Stargates, and working on the theory that they could also contain the mineral, they had been granted missions to each. Dorian was the first of the five. Just her luck.   
  
They made it to the foothills by sunset, after stopping twice for Sam to take samples in the fertile valley floor. As they set up camp, Sam started to relax for the first time since they had set foot on Dorian. Still, her dreams that night were unsettled. Visions of her teammates surrounded by scantily clad women bearing cake eventually woke her up, and kept her from getting back to sleep. Finally she gave up and relieved Jonas early for her watch. She should have realized that her distress had not gone unnoticed. Not too long after Jonas had returned to his sleeping bag, Jack had joined her where she was sitting, settling in behind her with his legs spread out on either side of her so she could lean back against him.   
  
"Bad dreams?" he murmured into her hair.   
  
"Strange ones, that's for sure," she replied with a sigh.  
  
"I can have the 'Stay Away from the Native Girls' talk with Jonas and Wilson if you want," he offered.  
  
"Teal'c too. He doesn't have Junior to protect him anymore," Sam reminded him.  
  
"What about me?" he asked.  
  
"Just don't eat or drink anything that we didn't bring with us," she warned.  
  
"Deal," he replied with a grimace. Then after a pause he added, "Are we ok?"  
  
Sam tilted her head to look at him in surprise. "We're great. Why wouldn't we be?"  
  
"You were kind of quiet on the hike. I, um, thought maybe all of those women today might have brought up some bad memories," he admitted.  
  
Her eyes widened as she caught his meaning. "No, I trust you, Jack. Besides you were looking so desperate to get away from that woman that if I hadn't been worried about Wilson and Jonas I would have found it amusing."  
  
"Humph. It was so not amusing. She was scary," he protested. Then after another pause, "I never apologized for hurting you that time back on Edora. I felt terrible later on when I realized that you actually returned my feelings. Between that and the whole sting operation to catch Mayborne I was frankly amazed that you didn't request a transfer off of SG1."  
  
This time Sam paused before quietly replying. "I did."  
  
Jack was stunned. Hammond had never mentioned that. "You did?" he finally queried with a note of panic.  
  
"Yeah, after the whole undercover thing I went to Hammond and requested a transfer. He figured it was just because of that mission, and begged me to give you another chance. Said he had ordered you not to tell us and it wasn't your fault. I didn't have the nerve to admit to him the real reason I was requesting a transfer, so I had to agree to give you another chance," she explained.  
  
"Why *were* you requesting a transfer?" he asked, sure that he did not want to hear the answer.  
  
"Because I had realized how I felt about you, and I had lost faith in my ability to be your 2IC. I thought you had lost faith in me too," she said with a shrug.  
  
"I *never* lost faith in you Sam," he protested.  
  
"You didn't believe that we would move heaven and Earth to get you back from Edora, and you didn't trust me to be able to react properly if you told me about the undercover mission. You had way too much power to hurt me," she stated simply.  
  
"On Edora, I didn't lose my faith in you Sam. I just figured that after three months Hammond was sure to have called off the rescue attempts. There are just so many resources you can expend to save one man. And as for the other thing, I was so scared that one of you would be harmed if I let you in on the plan. I was resigned in both cases to going it alone," he confessed.  
  
She shook her head. "Just like when you got beamed up to Thor's ship and refused to let us come up to help. Don't you know that you will never be on your own Jack O'Neill," she smiled. "You had better get that through your thick head. We will always be watching your back, and we will never leave you behind."  
  
He correctly interpreted that to mean *she* would always be there and would never leave him behind. What had he ever done to deserve her love?   
  
"Yeah, I kinda got that, although it's taken me a while," he said with a shrug.  
  
Sam sighed and turned in his arms so she could look him in the eyes. She placed a hand on either side of his face and with as stern a look as she could muster she lectured him.   
  
"Jack, I'm not about to let you go easily. Especially now that I actually have you. If you thought I fought hard to get you back before, you haven't seen anything yet. I'm planning on having your children, and spending our vacations as a family at that cabin of ours, and growing old with you. You're not going anywhere alone flyboy if I have any say in the matter,"   
  
"Yes, Ma'am," he said with a grin.  
  
She gave him a kiss and then stood up giving him a hand so she could pull him up too. "Let's go check the perimeter and then put the coffee on. I want to get the samples done and get off of this planet before some of the alien girls decide my teammates would make good boy toys."  
  
"Boy toys?" he asked amused.  
  
"Believe me babe, most of those women would kill for a good old fashioned, no commitment required, roll in the hay. If there was actually anything here that we wanted to trade for we could probably offer them vibrators and a year's supply of batteries," she teased.  
  
Jack actually blushed, which caused her to laugh. She remembered the day he had found her vibrator and the shocked look on his face, and she laughed even harder. Soon their teammates were up and giving them curious looks wondering what she had found so funny that was causing their CO obvious discomfort. Sam had stopped laughing three hours later though. She was re-testing the latest samples in disbelief. As she had expected, there was no naquada, because if there had been, Ra would have started a mine. She had been disappointed to discover no sign of the mineral from the tablet either. But her initial test from the foothills was currently being verified. There was trinium. And it was incredibly pure. Just then Jack walked up to check on her progress.   
  
"Find anything, Carter?" he inquired.  
  
"We are going to need batteries sir. Lots and lots of batteries." 


	15. Bliss

Title: "Bliss"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
  
  
Sam Carter was slightly shocked when her friend Janet Fraiser answered the door that Saturday afternoon.  
  
"Janet, you look like hell. What's the matter?" she asked, truly concerned.   
  
"Sam, I'm sorry. I should have called and told you not to come over today. Cassie had a fight with her boyfriend last night and neither of us have had any sleep. She's a wreck, and now I am, too. Have I mentioned lately that all men suck?" Janet stated somewhat incoherently.   
  
Sam looked up to see Cassie standing on the stairs, eyes puffy, nose red. She sighed. She certainly had been there and done that. She made a decision, and in her best command voice, took charge of the situation.   
  
"Cassie, go wash your face, You and I are going to go drown your sorrows in ice cream. Janet, go take a shower, make a cup of tea, and have a nap," she said, and paused just long enough for her words to sink in. "Come on! Move it!"  
  
Half an hour later, she and Cassie had bought huge ice cream cones, and were sitting in a park around the corner from the shop. Sam waited patiently until they were both halfway through their cones, then started the conversation.   
  
"So, what did the two-timing, inconsiderate, one step above a male primate do, or not do?" she inquired.  
  
"Yesterday was our one year anniversary. He called and canceled our date so he could go out with some of his friends," Cassie sniffled.  
  
"Ouch," Sam commiserated. "Bet you were all dressed up ready for a special evening, too."  
  
"I bought a new outfit, and I even bought him a present," Cassie angrily declared.  
  
Sam nodded and sighed. "Yep, men are scum," she agreed. Then she continued with a small smile. "Well, most of the time. Except for when they are being sweet and irresistible."  
  
"Humph. When is that?" Cassie asked, daring Sam to come up with an example.  
  
"You know. When they manage to keep their feet out of their mouths, usually by not saying anything. When they just look at you with a smile that makes you feel like the most special person in the world. Or when they hold you close during the scary parts of the movie, even though they know you are not really scared. When they know they have done something stupid, and they are trying desperately to think of a way to fix it, because they really are scared you might leave them, even though you couldn't if you tried. That's when," Sam said quietly.   
  
Cassie was silent for few minutes, absently licking at the last of her ice cream. She looked over at the woman who had been a surrogate mother to her and nodded in understanding.  
  
"It's not really about remembering anniversaries and making big romantic gestures is it?" she asked as a new level of maturity dawned.   
  
"No, Cass. It's about being there for each other through the good times and the bad. It's about trusting your life and your heart to someone and having them do the same. It's about quiet moments when you are just content to be together and happy times spent with family and friends. I'll take those over roses and chocolates and grand declarations of love any day," Sam acknowledged. Then she added with a grin, "Which is a darn good thing considering who I married!"  
  
Cassie giggled. "Nope, Uncle Jack sure could never be called romantic." Then she sobered and looked Sam in the eye. "But he loves you, and you love him," she said with certainty.  
  
"More every day, Cassie. Hold out for the guy that can give you that, sweetie. Hold out for the bliss." 


	16. Where You Lead

Title: "Where you Lead"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Colonel Jack O'Neill sighed as he opened the next folder in his pile. How exactly had he gotten talked into this again? Oh yeah, Hammond had ordered it. Across the commissary table from him, Major Sam Carter finished with the folder she had been reading and traded it for one of his completed folders. She started taking more notes. He was going to kill Major Griff. Ok, so first he'd have to let him get well enough to leave the infirmary, then he was going to kill him. Griff's team was supposed to be responsible for this new batch of recruits, but they had conveniently picked up a bacterial infection on their last mission, and had promptly been quarantined. Luckily it had turned out to be treatable and not communicable, so now they were resting comfortably in the infirmary. Or they would be until they were well enough for O'Neill to exact revenge. Because now SG1 had to take the four recruits off-world to give them their indoctrination into gate travel. At least three members of SG1 had to. He'd have to add Jonas and their temporary teammate Captain Wilson to his list of those to be punished later.  
  
Most of SG1 was supposed to be on downtime, since Wilson had requested leave to go to his sister's wedding and Carter was supposed to be off working at the Pentagon on a real Deep Space Radar Telemetry project. (Which was pretty ironic when you thought about it) But Carter's conference with scientists from Russia , NORAD and NASA had been postponed a week, and SG1 had been put back in the rotation. Then SG4 had asked to borrow Jonas to help with translating some ruins found on their latest mission, and he had gated out to meet up with them. Hammond probably would have let the remaining three get some leave in if Griff's group of screw-ups hadn't all come back contaminated. Now he, Carter and Teal'c would be stuck babysitting for the next four days.  
  
He looked across the table at Carter who was earnestly studying one of the recruit's files. They could be at home, just the two of them, still snuggled under the covers as it was a cold rainy spring morning. He'd be waking her up by nibbling on her neck, and she'd be trying to ignore him but failing miserably. Doh! Better get his mind back on the personnel files before he was forced to drag her off to their quarters and complete that little fantasy. As if she could read his mind, (and he was pretty sure most of the time that she could) Sam looked up and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Let's finish these and go review them with Major Griff. *Then* we can take a break," she said with a grin.  
  
Yep, Griff definitely owed him big time.  
  
Four hours later they were ready to meet the recruits who were alternately excited and anxious to be going out with the three most experienced SGC members. The new group consisted of two Captains and two Lieutenants. The Captains had each been recruited due to their science backgrounds. Shulman was a geologist, and Polen had a background in physics. O'Neill looked them over as he entered the briefing room. The Lieutenants looked like kids, especially the one female, Becca Hallerman, who reminded him a bit of Cassie. Man he was getting old.   
  
As the three members of SG1 entered, the four recruits shot to their feet and stood at attention until O'Neill waved them back into their seats. After introductions were made, he sat back and observed as Carter reviewed the MALP data for the planet they would be going to. Unknown to the recruits, the planet had been visited several times before, and had been deemed perfectly safe. The ruins had some interesting finds, and there were trace elements of naquada in the soil. Enough to get a reaction when the soil samples were taken, but not enough to get excited about. It would be a 5 hour hike to the ruins, where they would set up camp for two nights, giving the recruits an entire day to record the writings on the walls, and learn to take soil samples. They would get to try out their wings a bit, and on the third day they would hike back to the gate. What could go wrong?   
  
Late the next morning the seven gathered at the base of the ramp preparing to move out. O'Neill rolled his eyes in Carter's direction as he watched the recruits awkwardly finish buckling and strapping their gear. Sam had to hide her grin by turning her back and pretending to adjust her pack. Her CO might be dreading this trip, but she was planning on thoroughly enjoying herself while she helped him put the greens through their paces. It had been a long time since she had been able to relax and enjoy a mission. Besides, she always loved seeing new recruits as they interacted with the Colonel for the first time. He was such a natural leader that if the young officers had any merit at all you could watch as they began to blossom under his command. She knew that she had certainly done so, and she had learned many field and command skills under his guidance. These four didn't know how lucky they were to have this opportunity to watch and learn for one of the best.   
  
Finally O'Neill signaled Sgt. Davis to dial out, glancing over to make sure that everyone was clear of danger. He didn't need to worry. Four bodies automatically backed away from the gate as soon as it started to spin. As the last chevron was locked and the wormhole was established with it's familiar kwoosh, all four jumped.   
  
"Ok, kids. Let's move out. Teal'c, take point. Carter and I will bring up the rear," O'Neill ordered.  
  
Teal'c nodded and stepped through the gate. O'Neill watched to see which of the recruits would move up and assume the leadership of the group. He wasn't surprised when Shulman stepped forward and the others followed him through. As the last two of the group vanished he adjusted his cap and strode up the ramp with Sam at his side.   
  
"After you, Dorothy," he waved her ahead.  
  
Sam shook her head and smiled. "No pushing, Sir," she commented as she stepped through.  
  
On the other side the two paused to take in the condition of their team. Teal'c was scanning the area. The other four were in various degrees of discomfort. Polen and Hallerman were bent over fighting the nausea. Shulman looked a bit green but was recovering nicely. Rodriguez merely looked slightly disoriented. He smiled at O'Neill's surprise.  
  
"My mom likes to cook spicy. I have a caste iron stomach," he acknowledged.   
  
"Five points to Rodriguez, Carter," the Colonel noted.  
  
Yes, Sir," she replied as the recruits looked over confused.  
  
Sam just smiled. They would figure out the Colonel's system quick enough. Do something right, and get 5-50 points awarded. Do something wrong, and get 5-50 points deducted. The one with the most points at the end of the mission would get the best recommendation. She had already given Shulman 20 points for being the first one through the gate.   
  
"Ok, campers, let's start hiking. Can anyone tell me what direction we should be going?" he quizzed.  
  
"The MALP showed that the ruins were 10 clicks to the east, Sir," Hallerman piped up reciting what they had heard in the debriefing. O'Neill held up 5 fingers to Carter who awarded the points.  
  
"And which way is east?" O'Neill asked adjusting his sunglasses.  
  
The two lieutenants had their compasses out and were looking at them in confusion. Each needle pointed in a different direction. Captain Polen had slung off his P-90 and was standing it on end to use the shadow from the planet's sun to determine direction.  
  
"No magnetic poles here, kids. Carter used the sun's path to set directions, remember?" O'Neill said, signaling Carter to deduct 5 points from each. "Polen, which direction?"  
  
The Captain pointed in the correct direction and O'Neill gave him 20 points. And so their day went. They hiked, they took breaks for lunch and later for drinks and power bars. O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c made sure they had a chance to chat with each of the recruits individually for a bit, and the Colonel occasionally threw out a question. How far had they traveled from the gate? How many hours of sunlight did they have left? Had they spotted any signs of wildlife? Sam enjoyed watching him, taking in all of the traits that she had grown to love. As much as he might complain about the endless trees, he was in his element out here.   
  
She was also amazed at some of the questions he was throwing out. Things he normally would have pretended to not know or understand he was effortlessly quizzing the recruits on. He was such a big fraud. He retained so much more of what was discussed in briefings than he ever would admit to. He had to. It was important information he needed to keep them all safe. He picked that moment to look over at Carter and seeing her look of amused accusation he shrugged in embarrassment at being caught out. He knew he was in for it when they got back home. Of course she would give up all pretenses of being upset with him once he kissed her to apologize. And she would definitely be blackmailing him to keep this knowledge to herself. She spent a lovely few minutes dreaming up appropriate forms of payment from him.  
  
They reached the ruins with an hour of sunlight left. O'Neill had the two Captains pick out a good spot for their camp. They had brought two tents, one for SG1, and one for the recruits. Teal'c, Carter and O'Neill quickly had their tent up and gear sorted. They started a fire and got out the MRE's for dinner and then sat back to watch the show being enacted by the four trying to work together to put their tent up correctly. At one point the tent collapsed on top of Lt. Hallerman. Carter tried to hide her laughter by diving behind her CO, but he reached behind to give her a quick tickle in the ribs making her laugh harder.  
  
Teal'c looked from Polen and Shulman who were trying to sort out the tent to Carter who was still laughing and raising an eyebrow he lamented, "Scientists!" causing O'Neill to collapse in laughter. When he and Carter had regained their composure they good-naturedly argued over how many points to deduct for the tent fiasco. Later as they sat around the campfire having dinner O'Neill assigned the night watches.  
  
"So, how many hours of darkness do we have left?' he asked.  
  
"This planet has about an equal number of hours of light and darkness, about 10 hours each," Lt Hallerman answered. "So we have just over 9 hours until daybreak," she concluded, gaining herself 20 points.  
  
"Ok then, we will have three watches of 3 hours each. Carter, Teal'c and I will each take one in that order, and one or two of you will join each of us. You can divvy up as you wish," O'Neill explained.   
  
The night passed uneventfully, and Carter and O'Neill were able to get a few quality hours of sleep in the middle of the night. Although they adhered to their no fraternization off-world rule, they had found since their marriage that they slept the best when they were close enough to hear each other breath, or to reach out to one another if they were restless. That night, on a planet that they knew was safe they each slept peacefully for the three hours Teal'c was on watch with Captain Polen.   
  
The next day was spent letting the recruits explore the ruins, recording writings and artifacts found. O'Neill noted that if they were going to use these ruins again for training they were going to need to bring back some of the artifacts as just about everything of interest would be back at the SGC after this trip. Captain Shulman spent most of his time with Carter analyzing soil samples. She also made sure that each of the others was familiar with the proper way to take and store samples. Teal'c and O'Neill mostly were busy keeping a sharp eye out to be sure none of their novice explorers touched anything that they shouldn't. It was about two hours before sunset when the unexpected happened. There was a subtle rumbling like far off thunder and then the ground started to shake. Rocks tumbled down from the tops of the ruin walls.  
  
"Take cover!" O'Neill yelled and as he hunkered down next to a sturdy short wall, he automatically began to account for each of his charges to ensure they were in a safe position.   
  
He turned to Carter and Shulman last, just in time to see his worst nightmare unfold. The Captain was heading for a hollow in one of the walls that would protect him from any falling debris, but Carter saw a pillar begin to topple right into his path. She dove to push him out of the way, and took the brunt of the top third of the pillar as it hit her left side. Luckily her momentum as she fell and rolled took her away from the final resting place of the heavy stone. O'Neill saw her come to rest on her right side, unmoving, and with her left arm hanging at an odd angle. The ground had barely stopped shaking before he was rushing to her side.   
  
As the dust began to settle, O'Neill was already bending over Carter checking her pulse even as he turned to see Captain Shulman rise to his feet gingerly cradling his left wrist. Thank god, her pulse was strong and steady. He automatically began running his hands over her to check for other injuries, and he tried to look around to see if everyone else was alright.  
  
"No one else is seriously injured, O'Neill," Teal'c reported as he and the rest of the recruits came to stand nearby. "Captain Shulman may have a broken wrist."   
  
"Sit down Shulman. I'll look at it when I'm done with Carter," O'Neill said noting that the Captain looked a bit pale. To keep himself and the others from panicking over Sam's condition he began to explain what he was doing in a calm voice. "Carter's breathing ok, but she's unconscious. The first thing to do before we try to move her is to ensure that there are no neck or back injuries and to check for any bleeding that needs to be stopped. I'm not finding anything serious other than a gash on her head, and her left shoulder is definitely dislocated, so it should be safe to turn her onto her back. Teal'c, get me one of the thermal blankets to put under her. This will help keep any dirt out of the few scrapes that she has."  
  
They laid the blanket out under Carter and turned her onto her back which caused her to moan and open her eyes.  
  
"Carter! Are you with us?" O'Neill asked trying to check her eyes for signs of a concussion or other head injury.   
  
"Hurts like hell, Sir," she said blinking into the sunlight.  
  
"Where, Sam?" he asked, relieved that she was conscious.  
  
She paused for a moment and then gave him a rundown. "Left shoulder is the worst, although I think I cracked a few ribs, too. Head's pounding a bit. Everything else seems to be functioning."   
  
"Ok, I'm going to need to put that shoulder back in place, and check your ribs. You have a few cuts and scrapes that need to be cleaned up too. Do you think that you could sit up so we can get your jacket off?" he asked.  
  
"Get me to the tent, Sir. Then the t-shirt can come off too," she suggested.   
  
O'Neill nodded and Teal'c swooped in to gently lift her. He carried her to the tent where Hallerman was already waiting holding open the tent flap.  
  
"Do you need me to help, Sir?" she offered.  
  
O'Neill nodded. "Thanks, Lieutenant. If you can help me get her undressed I can take it from there."   
  
Teal'c left the tent to find that the others had helped Shulman over to camp and were sitting him down. I couple of minutes later Hallerman joined them.  
  
"While it is still light the samples and artifacts that are to be taken back to the SGC need to be packed away," Teal'c advised.   
  
Captain Polen and the lieutenants turned to head back to the ruins to get the gear but paused as curses started emanating from the tent.  
  
"God damn it, Sir. Could you just get it the @#$& over with?"   
  
They heard O'Neill murmur something in return and then they moved off looking slightly shocked. Teal'c sat down next to Shulman to keep an eye on him.   
  
"She probably saved my life," he whispered.  
  
"Indeed," Teal'c replied calmly.  
  
"How do I even begin to thank her for that?" Shulman asked shaking his head.  
  
"Major Carter was doing her job. A simple 'thank you' will be sufficient," Teal'c replied. Then he added with a quirk of his eyebrow, "I have however noticed that Major Carter is fond of flowers."  
  
Soon the others were back and set to making a fire, and getting the evening meal together. O'Neill came out of the tent with the med kit and set to work on Shulman's wrist.   
  
"Carter dozed off. I'm going to let her sleep for an hour and then wake her up to get her something to eat," he explained. "Shulman, I think this is just a sprain, but you'll need x-rays when we get back.  
  
"I will keep watch over Major Carter," Teal'c announced, rising and heading to the tent to watch over his teammate.   
  
"How is she?" Shulman asked in concern.  
  
"She'll be fine. She is going to be stiff and sore tomorrow. She will probably need help getting back to the gate," the Colonel said, knowing she would hate it, but that she would never be able to hike for five hours. Besides, it would be good practice for this group to have to work together to get their injured back.   
  
"We could make a stretcher. Then we can carry her when she gets tired," Polen offered.  
  
O'Neill nodded, and Rodriguez and Polen headed out to find the sturdy branches they would need before the light totally failed. They were back minutes later, and they sat with O'Neill as he gave them tips on making the stretcher as strong as possible. After a few minutes he could tell they had something on their minds.   
  
"Spit it out boys, what's the problem," he inquired.  
  
"The Major's not going to get in trouble for swearing at you, is she?" Polen asked, as the other two drew near to hear the response.   
  
Of all the things he had thought they would question, that one was a surprise. "Of course not. Considering that I had to practically stand on her shoulder to get it back in place, I thought she was quite restrained. I may limit the time she spends with the Marines when we get back though," he assured them.  
  
The group smiled in relief, and their smiles grew as they saw the Major exit the tent supported by Teal'c.  
  
"Carter, you feel up to eating?" O'Neill questioned her.  
  
"Yes, Sir. The smell of food actually woke me up. But first I need to, um, take a walk," she said blushing.   
  
Jack took over from Teal'c and supported her until they were far enough away from camp. He helped her undo her pants, and the turned his back to give her some privacy. When she announced she was done, he went over and helped her finish redressing. Before they started back to camp he pulled her into a quick hug.  
  
"You gave me a scare today, angel," he said as he kissed her forehead.  
  
"Mm, sorry about that. But I'll be fine," she replied leaning in for a quick kiss.   
  
"I know you will, because you are going to be getting a ride back to the gate tomorrow. No arguing in front of the kids," he ordered.  
  
She wanted to argue, but knew she really would be feeling worse tomorrow. "Compromise? I'll let you guys carry me when I get tired, but I want to walk part way."   
  
"If you feel up to it tomorrow you can walk for ½ hour at a time. No more," he agreed. "Now let's go get you something to eat before one of those youngsters decides to come see if they can help."  
  
She leaned on him as they turned to head back, but couldn't resist ribbing him a bit. "Afraid they will catch you hugging your 2IC, Sir?"  
  
"Got to keep up my reputation as a hard ass," he quipped.  
  
"They have no clue we are married do they," she said. "I wonder what they think about you undressing me twice today."   
  
"Hey, I was a perfect gentleman both times! Besides they were more concerned about your little outburst," he teased.  
  
She had the grace to blush, and then paused as if considering her next words. She was sure he would be embarrassed, but it was something she had always wanted to tell him.   
  
"You always have been a perfect gentleman you know. I've always wanted to tell you how much I appreciated that. Right from the very beginning you would tease me, but you never embarrassed me or made me feel uncomfortable. And you never took advantage of any situation," she told him.   
  
Sure enough he looked embarrassed, which she found adorable. "Of course *now* I look forward to you taking advantage of me," she added wagging her eyebrows at him and making him chuckle.  
  
They arrived back at camp and sat down to eat. Jack automatically positioned himself behind Sam so she could lean on him if she needed to, and he could reach round her and hold her food for her while she ate one handed. Teal'c placed a drink between her knees where she could reach it with ease. Lt. Hallerman took all of this in. She was suddenly aware that Captain Shulman must be having similar problems trying to eat, and she moved over to sit next to him, grabbing his MRE so he could dig in with his uninjured hand.  
  
"Thanks, Lieutenant," he said with a smile.   
  
Sam noticed this exchange with approval. This batch of recruits was learning the importance of teamwork quickly. But then they had the very best as a role model. She hoped that when Jack finally did decide to retire from SG1 that Hammond was smart enough to keep him at the SGC in a training capacity. Half of the SGC teams owed a lot of their field skills to emulating him whether they realized it or not. She certainly had had enough conversations with the other women on the teams to know that they all felt grateful to the men on SG1, and especially to Jack O'Neill, because the way he treated Sam with total trust and respect was held up as the example of how to treat women in the field. It was part of the reason that he had always struggled to keep their relationship totally in line, as much as he might have wanted to cross that line. They both knew that they had the added burden of setting the standards for the unique command structure that was the SGC, even more so now that they were married.  
  
As soon as she was finished eating, Sam's eyes started to drift shut. Teal'c lifted her and took her into their tent, removing her boots before he settled her into her sleeping bag. Then he went out to supervise the clean-up of the campsite so they would be able to leave as early as possible the next day. O'Neill was trying to figure out how he wanted to assign watches with Carter out for the night. Captain Polen promptly volunteered to take one watch with Lt. Rodriguez. Captain Shulman assured the Colonel that he was perfectly capable of taking a watch, but O'Neill wanted him to get some rest, and not try to stay awake with painkillers in his system. So he gave Polen and Rodriguez the first watch, and Teal'c the second. He and Hallerman would take the last watch, which would give him a chance to get the packs organized for the hike back. Carter's would need to be redistributed. He was planning on giving a slightly heavier pack to Hallerman as he would not be able to take a turn carrying the stretcher. The rest of her things would be distributed amongst the other packs, but should not make that much of a difference.  
  
In the morning, Shulman was given the task of keeping Carter busy and out of the way as the rest of the group broke camp. He took the opportunity to thank her for her quick actions the day before. As Teal'c had predicted, she insisted that she was just doing her job. The hike back took almost 8 hours. Carter did insist on walking for ½ hour after each of their breaks. And while it didn't speed them up any, it did give the others a rest from being stretcher bearers. Even with the early departure, they were an hour late getting back to the gate, and Hammond was just trying to contact them as they drew near, so there was a medical team waiting for them as they returned to the SGC. Now three hours later all but Carter were ready for the debriefing. Major Griff, looking miraculously better joined them, and couldn't resist ribbing O'Neill about *breaking* one of the recruits the first time out, pointing to Shulman's newly casted wrist which had sustained a hairline fracture.   
  
Hammond had talked to the Colonel before the briefing and had gotten word that Carter would be fine. O'Neill had also told him that all four of the recruits had performed well, high praise from him. So the General had sat back in the briefing and enjoyed the excited recounting of the mission, only asking an occasional question, and noting how the four seemed to have bonded during the three days. As much as he hated having two officers come back injured, it seemed to have taught the recruits some valuable lessons.  
  
Later, Hammond made his way down to the infirmary to check on Sam himself. When he arrived, she was sitting in civilian clothes, left arm in a sling, obviously just waiting to be released. The four recruits were gathered around her with a huge bouquet of yellow roses.   
  
"So we have four more in the Sam Carter fan club I see," a voice spoke from behind him.  
  
"You should talk Jack, aren't you the president of the club?" Hammond asked with a chuckle. "Honestly, I felt really bad explaining to the four that she wouldn't be put up for a commendation for saving the Captain's life."   
  
"Did you explain that we had to stop doing that unless she saved a billion or so at a crack? Even then she wouldn't have room for all of the medals," Jack said shaking his head. He certainly had lost count of the number of times she had saved his sorry ass.  
  
"You know it will be noted in her record, and it will probably help her next promotion go through faster. You are going to lose her soon as your 2IC," Hammond warned.  
  
"Maybe sooner than you think if she has her way, Sir," Jack said with a smile.  
  
Hammond sighed. He wasn't surprised. He had a bet placed in the pool himself as to the arrival date of the first baby O'Neill. It would be too bad if Sam didn't get a command soon though. She had been trained by the best and he was looking forward to seeing her in action. Then a more positive thought hit him. If Sam did step down from SG1 to get pregnant she would spend more time in the lab. They could definitely use her there full time. And it would mean he could get at least one more junior officer trained under O'Neill before he decided to retire. Maybe two if he worked this right. He was already seeing results from just having Captain Wilson on the team for a few months. And if he could get the timing right, maybe Carter could come back to take over SG1 when Jack retired. Of course he had no intentions of actually letting Jack go easily.  
  
There would always be more recruits to train and he knew just the man for the job. 


	17. Phone Bills

Title: "Phone Bills"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Major Sam Carter glanced at her watch for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. If they didn't take a break soon she would have to request one. Her ribs and shoulder, still bound and in a sling, were beginning to ache indicating the need for some ibuprofen. And she really wanted to call back to the base and talk to Jack before SG1 headed out on their scheduled mission. She tried to concentrate on Major Davis talking up at the head of the room. This meeting was important but she knew all of the prep material he was currently covering by heart as she had put most of it together.   
  
She did a quick survey of the room. Besides Paul Davis she only knew two of the other attendees. Colonel Chekov and Dr. Svetlana Markov had been sent by the Russian government to represent their interests along with another scientist that was an expert on the Space Station design. The other dozen people in the room were all scientists from NASA, NORAD, and the AF Space Command, none of whom she personally knew. Although she recognized one of the science officers from NASA. She wondered if he remembered her, as he had been on the Endeavor almost five years ago the day it had come to rescue four mysteriously stranded (and totally unintentional) astronauts floating just outside of Earth's atmosphere in two highly unique gliders.   
  
Finally, Davis called for a break, and Sam slipped out of the conference room before anyone could stop her to chat. Years at the Pentagon gave her the advantage of knowing where she wanted to go, and she headed for a ladies lounge that she knew had comfy chairs. With any luck she would be able to get a signal on her cell phone from there, as it was above ground. She really didn't want to hunt down a secure phone to use to call the SGC. After using the facilities and downing a couple of pills, she curled up in one of the chairs and dialed. A minute later she was connected to Jack's office.   
  
"O'Neill."  
  
"Will I seem totally pathetic if I admit I miss you?"  
  
"I can't imagine you ever seeming pathetic. And I'm glad you called. We are due to head out in an hour."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Just wanted to say bye, and I love you."  
  
"I love you, too. And pathetic or not, I miss you like crazy. I couldn't sleep at home last night alone."  
  
"I hope you took one of those famous O'Neill naps pretending to work on paperwork this morning."  
  
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a second. "You are on a secure phone giving away all of my secrets like that aren't you?"  
  
"Like everyone doesn't already know. Anyway, make sure you come back all in one piece, because I'm hoping to be healed up enough by Friday for a really great homecoming."  
  
Jack chuckled at that. Her dislocated shoulder and cracked ribs had kept them from any strenuous romantic activities before she'd had to leave for DC.   
  
"It's a date," he confirmed.   
  
"When are you due back from the mission?"  
  
"16:00 Wednesday, local time."  
  
"Send me a text message when you get back. I'm supposed to be having drinks with some old friends that night."  
  
"Have fun. How's the meeting going, by the way?"  
  
"Boring so far, but we'll get to the good stuff soon enough."  
  
"There's good stuff?"  
  
"*Goodbye* Jack. I love you."  
  
"Love you, too, angel."  
  
She hung up the phone with a sigh. For a couple of minutes she sat playing with her rings deep in thought. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed for the better in just five months. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of what the next five months could bring. She really hoped it included a baby on the way. What with this project kicking off and her work on the X-303 she would have plenty to do if she was to be banned from gate travel for nine months. Suddenly she realized that she needed to get back to the conference, and she reluctantly shook off the daydreams. She hadn't been kidding Jack. Later that afternoon there were going to be a lot of very shocked and excited scientists in the room as she and Davis outlined the plan to set up a network of deep space satellites. Really deep space, as in orbiting planets outside of their solar system. Planets with Stargates.  
  
Two days later, Sam was exhausted. The other scientists had been shocked by the news that not only was there a way to visit planets beyond using spaceships, but that there was intelligent life out there, some of which we needed to guard against. They were quite excited about the prospect of setting up a satellite system, but full of questions, all of which were Sam's responsibility to answer in detail. She had fallen into bed the last two nights and gone to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.   
  
Today though, the others had split off into groups to try to work through some of the details that each area would need to deal with over the course of the project. Tomorrow they would come together to discuss any issues that they had come up with. That left Sam time today to do some refining of the basic plan based on the data she had gathered from the others over the last couple of days. And it would allow her to leave at a descent hour to meet her old friends from the Pentagon for drinks.   
  
Once at the bar they had chosen, an old favorite hangout that hadn't changed too much in the six years since she had last been there, she sat with her friends and got caught up on their personal and professional lives. A couple had worked on the Stargate project with her during those years she had spent creating the dialing computer program, and trying random addresses. The others knew nothing of alien devices and far away planets. As much as she was enjoying seeing them, she couldn't help but glance at her watch from time to time. 18:30. The guys should be back by now. She checked her cell phone for messages.  
  
"Waiting for a call from the mystery man, Sam?" Beth asked. She had been a neighbor of Sam's and a secretary at the Pentagon. While they had never interacted professionally, she and Sam had spent many a Saturday night lamenting their love lives over margaritas. Beth had been there through the whole Jonas debacle. Now she was happily married with two kids, and was glad to see that her old friend seemed to have found happiness too.   
  
"Yeah, come on Sam. Spill. We want to know all about this guy that finally captured the elusive Sam Carter," one of her old lab tech's teased.   
  
Just then her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. There was one text message.  
  
BACK SAFE AND SOUND. CALL ME LATER AT HOME. LOVE YOU  
  
She had to smile. Cassie had taught him how to text message, but he still insisted on spelling out all the words. Luckily he was man of few words or his messages would cost a fortune. She breathed a sigh of relief, and turned her blinding smile on her friends. "His name is Jack," she began.  
  
That night she had barely closed the door of the hotel room behind her before she had her phone out and was dialing home.  
  
"Hi babe," Jack answered on the first ring and she grinned imagining him trying not to hover around the phone waiting for it to ring. They had it bad. After all the practice they'd had over the course of six years you would think they could go without seeing or talking to each other for a few days.  
  
Over an hour later she hung up the phone. Wow! That was the longest conversation she'd ever had with the man. They hadn't really talked about anything earth shattering, but it had been nice. Maybe they should talk on the phone more often. At home discussions always seemed to dissolve into sex pretty quickly. Not that she was complaining. After five months she still didn't feel like she had made up for the last six years without sex. She figured they were about up to his first fishing invitation at this point. And she still hadn't been to that darn cabin. She could only imagine what that first trip would be like.   
  
The next night it was late before she finally got back to the hotel to call home. With the time difference she wasn't too worried about waking him up though. Besides, he had sent her several text messages during the day. One was just him complaining about the lack of red Jell-O at lunch to which she had responded that blue was better anyway. In one he just asked what she was doing. He was obviously bored and without her in her lab to bug she would bet that he had been driving Jonas and Teal'c crazy all day. The last message had asked when she would be back at the hotel. Even as she reached for her phone it rang. She shook her head. He was as impatient as a five-year-old sometimes. The conversation began much like the night before, discussing their days. It was only a few minutes though before he turned the conversation around by pausing and asking in a soft voice, "So, what are you wearing?"  
  
*Holy Hannah* Sam thought much later as she hung up the phone. Now even their phone conversations were dissolving into sex. She had never really understood the appeal of phone sex before, but she had to admit that the experience had been amazing. She pulled the sheets up over her naked body and fell into a sated sleep filled with very nice dreams of *fishing* with Jack up at his cabin.   
  
The next day the conference was scheduled to conclude. Since the scientists for NORAD and the AFSPC were all stationed in Colorado along with Sam, the project would be based there at Space Command headquarters where they would get their own lab and conference room. As needed, personnel from the other areas could fly there to meet. However as the day wore on it became apparent that they were not going to be able to wrap up all of the details by the end of the day. Major Davis went off to rearrange transport for all of them for the next day, and Sam called the base and told her very disappointed husband that she wouldn't be home until late the next day. Luckily she called from the privacy of the ladies lounge as he proceeded to describe to her exactly what he had planned for her homecoming.   
  
Sam just sat back in the chair with a grin. They were going to have one heck of a cell phone bill to deal with when she got back, but it was going to be worth every penny. 


	18. Just Another Sunday

Title: "Just Another Sunday"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Sam expected Jack to be a bit quiet and withdrawn today. After all, five weeks earlier she had been introspective herself, thinking of her Mom, and then of how she herself was now thirty-six and still had no children of her own. But that day had been easier this year than the year before thanks to being with Jack. He'd been a constant reminder during the day that maybe by next year Mother's Day would be different.  
  
Today, she wondered just where Jack's thoughts were. On Charlie for sure, but maybe dwelling a bit on the loss of his own father, too. She knew he would probably head to Charlie's grave at some point during the day. What she hadn't expected was for him to invite her along.   
  
"This is Sam. She's your step-mom. You would really like her Charlie. She's smart, and she gets all of those stupid jokes you used to love," he said by way of introduction.   
  
Sam flashed Jack a smile, and then turned to shyly say 'Hi' to the young boy she would never get to know except through pictures. Jack had been sharing those with her recently, and she could tell from the look in Charlie's eyes and his quirky smile that he was a Jack O'Neill clone. She had instantly fallen in love with one particular picture. Charlie was sitting on Jack's shoulders, his chin resting on his dad's head, both almost totally in profile, silhouetted by the setting sun behind them. They wore identical grins, and both had the same crinkles around their eyes as they squinted slightly in the dying light.   
  
She had noticed that several of the pictures were starting to yellow, and were looking a bit dog-eared. Especially those that Jack kept in a box in his locker. So she had snuck some of them to a good photo shop and had new clean copies made. She'd framed two of the copies of her favorite shot, and planned on putting one on the mantle at home and one on her desk on base. The other prints she'd left unframed until Jack decided what he wanted to do with them She was hoping he could convince him that they should not be put away into a box again.   
  
She thought today might be a good day to give them to him, if his mood seemed right. As it turned out the perfect opportunity presented itself. They had been out working in the garden when a thunderstorm quickly rolled in. They made it into the house slightly damp, and panting from their mad dash. Sam impulsively pulled off her clammy shirt and after looking Jack in the eyes for a steamy moment had grabbed his hand and dragged him to the bedroom. They had made love with a wild abandon that matched the weather outside. As the lightening and thunder rolled off into the distance they were laying in bed sated when Sam suddenly got up and padded over to her dresser to take out the pictures carefully wrapped in tissue paper.   
  
"Happy Father's Day," she said softly handing him the package.   
  
He looked at her perplexed, but she just shrugged. She watched him carefully as he opened the gift, hoping she hadn't caused any further pain. But she only saw surprise, and then a small smile as he looked through the prints.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered as he turned to kiss her.  
  
Later, he had placed the framed picture on the mantle without any coaxing from her. Then he had frowned as he realized that the picture in the second frame was identical.   
  
"I'd like that one for my office on base if you don't mind," she explained.   
  
He looked surprised, but nodded. "I thought you might like a few of the others for your locker. Or we could frame them and put them up here. I'd love to add some family pictures to the front hallway," she suggested.   
  
"That would be nice. We could put up one of our wedding photos too. And definitely one of Cassie," Jack replied.  
  
After dinner they sat flitting through the TV channels, and Jack finally settled on a Simpson's rerun. During one of the commercial breaks Sam brought up the other matter she'd had on her mind all day.  
  
"Next year," she stated simply.  
  
"Next year what?" Jack inquired.  
  
"I'm going off birth control. Maybe next year Father's Day won't be just another Sunday," she clarified.   
  
Jack turned off the Simpson's and proceeded to show her just how much he liked that idea.   
  
The end. 


	19. The Prodigal Son

Title: "Prodigal Son"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Daniel was back. That knowledge caused a multitude of emotions and Sam was trying desperately to sort through how she felt. Overjoyed? Most definitely. Daniel's absence had left a hole in her life that would never be filled. Like having a twin, he'd been someone who had followed the same thought processes as she did, and as such they had developed a special bond. Confused? Yeah, a bit. With Jonas leaving and Daniel back, things were going to be a bit unsettled for a while, especially since Daniel wasn't quite all himself yet. Angry? There was an emotion she wouldn't have predicted feeling, but she certainly was.   
  
She wasn't even sure whom she was angry at. It didn't seem fair to be mad at Daniel, but she had to admit that she was. When she'd found out that he had appeared to Jack in Ba'al's fortress and to Teal'c when he was fighting to keep himself and Bra'tac alive, she'd been angry. After all, he'd never bothered to let her know that he was alright, nor had he showed up to offer support when she'd been dying in Nirrti's prison. She'd already let Jack and Teal'c have a piece of her mind for not sharing their visions of Daniel. But she really wished she could talk to Daniel about it. Of course since he had no memory of his time ascended it wouldn't do much good.  
  
She really didn't want to be mad at him anyway. Especially since he was wandering around looking almost as lost as when he'd come back after Sha're had been taken by Apophis. Better to be mad at Oma and the Others. They had offered Daniel what he had thought would be a better way, but as soon as he'd tried to really make a difference they had stopped him and cast him out.   
  
With those thoughts in mind, she decided it was time to go visit her friend, and start getting things back to normal. They still had several hours until it was time to head out for Jack's planned team dinner, so she grabbed a couple of cups of fresh coffee and headed to Daniel's lab. She found him there sitting at the computer trying to logon. Of course his ID and password had long ago been revoked, and in the chaos of the last few days she was sure no one had thought to request a new one from him.   
  
"Daniel, what are you up to?" she asked handing him a cup of his favorite brew.  
  
"Oh, hi Sam. Mmmm, thanks! I wanted to pull up some of the mission reports for the last year. I've read through some of my journals on our past missions, but I wanted to get caught up on what I've missed," he replied staring at the screen as if it would provide him with everything he needed to know to make sense out of the last year.  
  
"We'll need to get you a new ID and password," she commented. "In the mean time feel free to ask away," she added with a smile.  
  
"I'll read all about the missions starting tomorrow. Why don't you fill me in on what I've missed in your personal lives," he suggested.  
  
"Daniel, you know we have no personal lives," she teased. It was a long standing joke between them comparing who's love life was more pathetic. Sam had usually won simply by pointing out she was the only one to not have had any sex the entire time they had been on SG1. She was dying to tell him how all of that had changed, but she knew Jack would kill her if she did it without him. "I guess I'll have to start with Janet and Cassie as they actually do get out once in a while."  
  
They chatted about Cassie and her various boyfriends, and the colleges that she had shown an interest in. Then she told him about Dray'auc dying, and how proud Teal'c was of Rya'c as he was turning into a fine warrior under Bra'tac's tutelage. She watched him closely as she related the tragic loss of a group of the Jaffa rebels during an ambush and how Teal'c and Bra'tac had lost their symbiotes to see if he showed any signs of remembering the events. He didn't.   
  
"How's Jack been?" Daniel asked.  
  
"He's had a tough year, why?" Sam asked curious to see if he had picked up on anything.  
  
"He seems more at peace. He even has pictures of Charlie up in his locker now," Daniel commented.  
  
"Yeah I know. He got stranded for a month on a moon with Maybourne – it's a long story, you'll need to read the mission report. A lot changed after he got back. I guess he had a lot of time to think," Sam replied feeling bad she couldn't blurt out the whole story.  
  
"What about you, Sam? What have you been up to?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, you know. The usual. I helped save Earth once, I got another snake in the head for a few minutes, I almost died," she quipped not realizing how much like Jack she sounded.  
  
Daniel was looking at her in concern. "Sam, I think I need to know about each of those in a bit more detail," he admonished.  
  
Just then an announcement over the intercom called her to the control room.  
  
"Daniel, we'll talk more tonight. Plan on staying over at the Colonel's house. The four of us can get all caught up," she promised as she headed out to see what the current emergency was.   
  
Two hours later, after having corrected an error in the dialing program so that SG6 could head out on their mission as planned, Sam stopped back in Daniel's lab to remind him it was almost time to go. Just as she expected he was engrossed in reading.  
  
"Daniel! You don't have to read it all today," she chastised. "Go change into some civies and meet us in the Colonel's office in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Alright," he said putting the report in his in-box and raising his hands in defeat. "Since when did you start leaving on time anyway?" he complained.  
  
It was on the tip of her tongue to retort that it was ever since she had something to go home to, but she stopped in time. "Fifteen minutes," she warned and headed off to get changed herself. Jack came in just as she was leaving their quarters and wrapped his arms around her with a groan.  
  
"I've been in the budget meeting from hell," he moaned.   
  
"Are you all ready to leave?" she asked.  
  
"I need to change. Unless you want to take me to bed and make me forget all about the appropriations committee and requisition forms," he suggested with wagging eyebrows.   
  
"We're going out to dinner with Teal'c and Daniel, remember?" she cautioned as his lips nuzzled her neck.  
  
"They can wait. I thought we were working on a baby," he cajoled.  
  
"We can't officially start for another week," she reminded him.  
  
"We need to practice," he said trying to distract her with his hands.   
  
"Jack O'Neill," she scolded pushing his hands away. "You are incorrigible. Now get changed and we'll meet you in your office," she said giving him a swift kiss "We'll have plenty of time to practice this weekend," she promised as she escaped out the door.  
  
She was the first to arrive, but Daniel was only a minute behind her. He moved a stack of files off of the desk chair and plopped down looking at Jack's desk in dismay.   
  
"It's nice to see some things never change," he chuckled. Then he spotted the picture sitting on the back corner. "Although I think that's new," he commented raising his eyebrows.  
  
The picture was of Sam from their wedding. She was standing in the garden where the ceremony had taken place bathed in sunlight. Her dress was white, but there was not really anything else to indicate the occasion. Except of course for the huge smile on her face. She quickly shoved her left hand in her jacket pocket to keep from giving away the whole thing. Then tried to distract him.  
  
"Yeah, it's fairly new. So, where did you want to eat?" she asked innocently.  
  
Just then Jack walked in. "Everybody here but T?" he asked.  
  
"I am here O'Neill," Teal'c commented from behind him in the doorway.  
  
"Good, let's head out," Jack said waving his two teammates to go ahead of him.  
  
Daniel stood up but didn't move from his place in front of the desk. He looked at the picture, then at Sam who was avoiding his eyes, then to Jack who was looking at him in confusion.  
  
"Um, Jack?" he inquired. "Why do you have a picture of Sam in your office?"  
  
Jack paused and moved into the room so that Teal'c could enter. A small smile lit his features as he looked at Sam's picture.   
  
"Lot's of men keep pictures of their wives on their desks, Danny," he replied moving over to wrap an arm around Sam.   
  
She rested her head on Jack's shoulder and watched for the exact moment that Daniel got it.  
  
"You and Sam? Married?" he exclaimed.  
  
"Six months ago," Sam admitted raising her left hand to show her rings.  
  
"Oh wow, this is so great!" Daniel declared pulling Sam into a hug. "Isn't it great Teal'c?"  
  
"It is indeed, Daniel Jackson. It was an event that greatly pleased all of us," Teal'c confirmed.  
  
"Jack, congratulations," Daniel said shaking his friend's hand. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how lucky you are."  
  
The group eventually moved towards the elevators as Daniel questioned them to get all of the details.  
  
"So how did you get Hammond to let you both stay on SG1?" he inquired as they entered the elevator.  
  
"Different rules for married officers," Jack began, explaining the sequence of events that had led to them getting married without breaking any regs.  
  
"This is wonderful. You two get to be together and we can go on as a team," Daniel said happily.  
  
"For now," Sam confirmed. "But soon I'll probably be breaking up SG1 anyway," she added.  
  
Daniel was confused. There was no reason for Sam to leave SG1, unless she was getting her own command. "Why?" he asked.  
  
Sam and Jack looked at each other and smiled.  
  
The end 


	20. In the Pilot's Seat

Title: "In the Pilot's Seat (1/1)"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: R   
  
Could her life get any stranger? No, scratch that thought. The last thing she needed to do was to tempt fate. But even with everything that had happened to Sam over the last 6 years, the last week still qualified as unusual. After all, she'd only left town for two days to visit her brother and his family. Just a quick trip while Jack and Hammond were tied up with budget reports. And then had come the emergency call telling her to get back, and finding on her return that her husband was closer to fifteen than fifty. So that made her what – Mrs. Robinson? (Yeah, the marines had had a field day with that one) Then had come the awful news that Jack was dying, and the confusion of learning that the boy wasn't really Jack.  
  
The whole week had left her exhausted and with a nagging feeling of irritation that she couldn't quite put her finger on. At first she'd thought it was caused by the idea of Mini-Jack running around out there somewhere. Especially after Jack had teased that the poor kid was going to have a hard time finding a girlfriend to hold a candle to Sam. But although she had to admit that the thought of a fifteen-year-old with carnal knowledge of her was a bit creepy, she'd eventually come to terms with it.  
  
Then she had figured she was just annoyed with Daniel, who had insisted on having one of his chats with her to see how she was doing. For some reason he was concerned that she and Jack were having problems, which had confused her until he pointed out that there was a picture of Jack, Sara and Charlie at Jack's bedside instead of a picture of her. But she couldn't be upset with Daniel. After all she had thoroughly enjoyed watching him blush when she explained that the picture of her along with their wedding photo had been the casualties of a little too much enthusiasm in bed one night, and that they were now at the photo shop getting break-resistant glass put in the frames.   
  
Still she felt, well restless was the only way to describe it. And then it dawned on her. She was sitting in a briefing discussing upcoming upgrades for the F-302 when she literally felt the light bulb go off. In all of the turmoil she'd almost forgotten about the pilot's briefing. That male chauvinist group of flyboys had sat in that room and been more willing to accept a lecture from a fifteen-year-old boy than from a woman. And of course Jack hadn't helped any, breezing in and taking over with a confidence that screamed superior officer (even if the body was too young to have driver's license let alone a pilot's) Darn that was confusing. Could she be mad at Jack when he hadn't actually been there?   
  
Besides, she knew the real problem was with her own confidence as a pilot. In the old days she could have handled briefing the boys with ease. Back in the days when an F-16 was as natural a habitat to her as alien planets currently were. But other than a couple of quick check-out flights to keep up her qualifications, she hadn't been in the pilot's seat of a fighter in way too long. She was determined to change that.  
  
Two weeks later, Jack stood in the doorway of Sam's lab surprised to see it empty. He checked his watch. It was only 16:30. He'd been in a meeting with the other team leaders, and as soon as they'd finished he had come to see if she was ready to go home, but his wife was nowhere to be found. Then he spotted a post-it note on her terminal.   
  
'Had to run an errand. Gone for the Day. Carter.'  
  
Very odd. This was the third time in two weeks she'd left early. Something definitely was up and Jack O'Neill was on a mission to find out what. He was waiting for her when she got home and one look at his face told her he was not in the mood for anything other than the truth.  
  
"Hey," she said, trying to figure out where to start.  
  
Silence.   
  
"I've been at Patterson, flying Jack. And no, I didn't tell you. It was something I needed to do for me. As many times as we've been up in the F-302 lately, I've always had to take a back seat. I needed to get back in the pilot's seat. I missed it," she confessed.   
  
He had the grace to look guilty. As the senior officer it had always been assumed that he would pilot. It had never even occurred to him to offer to trade seats with her so she could pilot her own baby.   
  
"I called Nellis. They're going to be doing a few check-out flights of the two new F-302's next week. You are signed up to take one out," he offered by way of apology.   
  
She gave him a brilliant smile, and then threw her arms around his neck to pull him close for a kiss. When she came up for breath she leaned back in his arms, and traced a lazy pattern on his chest with one hand.  
  
"You know, I've just had 42,000 lbs. of pure power at my control. It was quite a rush," she commented.  
  
"Is that a challenge, Major?" he asked, pulling her hips in so that she could feel his arousal pressing against her. "Because I think I'm up for it."  
  
"29,000 lbs. of thrust," she added moving her hand around to his butt to pull him in closer.  
  
"Thrust is good," he said giving a little thrust of his own.  
  
"Just remember I like to be in the pilot's seat," she warned before she caught his lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
The end. 


	21. Killing Time

Title: "Killing Time (1/1)"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: R   
  
Colonel Jack O'Neill was using every bit of his Special Ops training to make it to the planned rendezvous site without being seen. The note telling him where and when to meet had been secreted into his office while he was checking in with the General to see if there was any word from the half of his team that was off-world. Now with two minutes to go until the assigned meeting time, he was waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the room. Unfortunately, General Vidrine was standing in the corridor talking to one of his staff members. Finally the Captain departed, and Vidrine headed into the VIP suite. Jack quickly rounded the corner and swiped his card to unlock the door. Once inside he quietly closed the door behind him and flicked on the light. The sight that met his eyes made his jaw drop open.  
  
Kneeling on the bed of their quarters was his wife in a sexy black lace bra and matching bikini underpants, both of which were just visible through the opening of his uniform shirt. His cover was perched jauntily on the back of her head.   
  
"Have you been promoted, Colonel Carter?" he managed to tease as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
"Is that any way to talk to a superior officer, Airman?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.  
  
An hour later, Jack was wonderfully worn out from taking orders from 'the Colonel'. With his arm in the sling they had both had to be a bit inventive, but it had only added to the excitement of having his gorgeous wife order him to please her. Not that he hadn't been pleased as well. Far from it. Making love to Sam just got better and better. And now they had the added thrill of knowing that they could be conceiving a baby each time they came together.   
  
As they lay naked in each other's arms he couldn't help but comment. "You are enjoying yourself way too much finishing up your system diagnostics. It makes me wonder what you were up to all of those other times we thought you were slaving away upgrading the gate."  
  
"I used to catch up on paperwork and reading when there were programs running for hours. *This* was so much more fun," she stated with a sigh and a grin. "Besides I thought you could use a distraction from your paperwork and worrying about Teal'c and Daniel."  
  
"I'm not worried about Teal'c," he protested.  
  
"Hmm, but you are worried about Daniel," she confirmed.  
  
"Edwards doesn't know him. I'm afraid he won't listen to Daniel. And when it comes to things like the Unas, it's really a good idea to listen to Daniel," he admitted.   
  
"Darn it! Where is that tape recorder when you need it! Daniel will never believe that you said that," Sam complained.   
  
"That's why you won't tell him. That and the fact that if you do I will have to exact revenge," Jack warned.  
  
"Will I enjoy the revenge?" she asked coyly.  
  
"Knowing you? Probably," he said with a chuckle. "How long before you need to be back in the control room?"  
  
"Just long enough for you to have lunch with me," she said starting to search for some clothes to put on.  
  
When she had dug out her underwear from where it had been flung, he raised an eyebrow. "You're not putting those on under your BDU's are you?"   
  
"Special treat," she said giving him a wink.  
  
"You haven't ever worn that type of stuff in the past have you?" he wondered, suddenly imagining her fighting off a couple of Jaffa in nothing but several scraps of lace.  
  
"Never off-world," she said reading his mind.  
  
"Thank God," he muttered as he pulled on his own clothes.  
  
A couple of minutes later he opened the door and peeked out to make sure that the corridor was clear. They had just closed the door behind them when General Vidrine exited his room and turned to face them. They each executed a perfect salute, murmured "Good afternoon, Sir", and then hightailed it around the corner where Sam muffled a laugh onto Jack's shoulder.   
  
"Shh, you'll blow our cover!" Jack admonished with a smile.  
  
"What cover?" Sam asked, her eyes dancing merrily. "Anyone looking at us is going to know exactly what we've been up to. Especially if you don't wipe that grin off of your face."  
  
"What grin?" he inquired innocently, the grin growing larger.  
  
Their good mood lasted through lunch, and then Sam went back to work in the control room, and Jack went back to worrying about the rest of his team. During the course of the afternoon he occasionally wandered to the control room to catch a glimpse of his wife working diligently. Remembering just what she had on under the Airforce standard issue fatigues, he couldn't help but smile. At some point he realized that she had done it on purpose to distract him and keep him from driving everyone in his path crazy while he awaited word on the situation on P3X-403. He was even able to sit relatively calmly through a meeting with the two Generals later in the day although he had a hard time keeping a straight face in front of Vidrine at first.  
  
He abducted Sam from the control room at 1900 and made sure she had dinner. And even though he could eat left-handed, he let her cut up his meat without making a fuss. He just teased her that she needed to practice for when she was a mother.   
  
When Hammond walked into the commissary with General Vidrine and his staff he noted the two officers eating with approval. He hated that O'Neill was injured and not out with Dr. Jackson and Teal'c, but it was good that he was making sure that Major Carter ate. They really did make a good team both professionally and personally. For a moment he wished he knew how the Major kept Jack in line, but he suspected that she used methods that would only work for her. Whatever, at least the Colonel had not been in his office every five minutes all afternoon. Jack had been so annoying this morning that he had almost thrown him through the wormhole.  
  
Hopefully Teal'c and Dr. Jackson would be back soon. Hammond didn't think even Major Carter would be able to distract the Colonel too much longer. At the sound of laughter across the room he looked up and saw O'Neill and Carter both grinning about something. Then again, he thought, he'd long ago learned not to underestimate the powers of Doctor Major Samantha Carter.  
  
The end 


	22. Care Package

Title: "Care Package"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
  
  
Sam slipped the large padded envelope marked 'CONFIDENTIAL: FOR COLONEL O'NEILL'S EYES ONLY' onto the F.R.E.D. which was loaded with supplies headed to the Alpha site. She had really been hoping that she would be personally accompanying the supplies, making a surprise visit to her husband, but it just hadn't worked out that way. Oh, well. Hopefully he would be home in a week and they could have a welcome back celebration that would make his toes curl. Although it would be tough to top the evening they had spent before he'd left, she thought with a grin. In the mean time, hopefully the package she was sending would keep him from getting grouchy.  
  
  
  
Three weeks earlier Hammond had called SG1 in and explained that they were being given separate assignments for the next four weeks. The expansion of the Alpha site had finally gotten the last sign off needed, and Colonel O'Neill would be needed there to supervise the project for at least a month. Hammond was sending Teal'c along to help oversee the relocation of a large group of rebel Jaffa into new quarters. Since Bra'tac and Rya'c would be there it would be great chance for Teal'c to spend some time with his friend and son as well.   
  
In addition, SG8 had requested that Daniel accompany them back to a planet where extensive ruins had been found. The archeologist had jumped at the chance to go dig for a couple of weeks. Their temporary fifth member of the last several months, Captain Wilson, was permanently reassigned as the 2IC of SG6, and Sam herself had quite a backlog of requests that Hammond was happy to finally be able to fulfill. Sam had ended up spending a week at the Pentagon reviewing the progress on the Deep Space Radar System, and then had spent a week working on upgrades to the X302. She'd been back in Colorado Springs for the last week splitting her time between her lab and the Academy. She'd convinced Hammond that a trip to the Alpha site would be a break for her, and would allow her to check on the set-up of the new science lab. But at the last minute, something had come up, and she wasn't going to be able to go.   
  
An hour after the F.R.E.D. departed, Jack sat in his office light years away, having given strict instructions to the young SF outside his door that he wanted no interruptions. He opened the envelope and turned it over. The first several items that fell out made him chuckle. A new game for his GameBoy along with a fresh pack of batteries, and a copy of a just released Simpson's anthology. A note attached to the book in Sam's writing promised that she was faithfully taping the show for him. The last item was a small flat box, neatly wrapped in plain yellow wrapping paper, and stamped 'TOP SECRET'.  
  
He made short work of the wrapping paper, and opened the box to find a small note, also in Sam's writing that simply said 'WE HAVE JOY'. He set the card aside now completely intrigued. The phrase was code for a successful engine burn, but he doubted Sam was referring to a rocket launch. He realized that the card had been sitting on top of something wrapped in tissue paper, so he carefully folded back the paper to reveal the object.  
  
If the first couple of items had made him smile, this final present was cause for a load whoop of joy. Tucked inside the tissue was a small plastic wand with two blue lines, and another note that gave him a very important piece of information. 'ETA – 05/04/2004' 


	23. Blue Skies

Title: "Blue Skies"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
It was one of those days at the end of winter that teased you, an early taste of spring, which was in reality a good six weeks away. The sky was a clear blue and the temperature was trying to reach 60 f. A light breeze carried the scent that you usually associated with things growing. None of the people gathered together were able to appreciate the beauty of the day. In their hearts, the sky was gray, and even the warm sunshine could do little to chase away the chill that had settled over the group as they lay to rest the body of Janet Leanne Fraiser.   
  
There had been a memorial service at the SGC two days before, attended by a large contingent of Earth dignitaries and off-world allies. Today however, her family was burying her in a plot of ground beneath a Rocky Mountain Birch tree. Sam personally though that her friend would probably have preferred to be cremated, but it was Jack who pointed out that Cassandra might need a quiet spot where she could come to talk to her adopted mother, especially since there was no way that she could visit the resting place of her real family on Hanka.   
  
And so they were gathered under a perfect blue sky to pay their final respects to a woman who had been their daughter, mother, sister, aunt, friend and healer. A few chairs had been set up graveside, and Sam, now seven months pregnant, gratefully sat in one, with Cassie sitting to her left, and Janet's parents seated next to their adopted granddaughter. The rest of the attendees chose to stand, Janet's brother and his family behind his parents, and forming a solid wall of support behind Cassie and Sam stood six men who were each also grieving in their own ways.  
  
Jonas had rushed back from Kalowna as soon as he had heard the news. He had only known the Doctor for a year, but in that time he had come to respect and admire her. She had been a friendly ear, patiently answering his questions about Earth long before any of the members of SG1 had begun to unbend enough to spend time with him. He'd always suspected that it had been Janet's hand at work when Teal'c and Sam gradually began to accept him, which had in turn eventually won over the Colonel. No to mention the fact that he probably owed the Doctor his life in quickly diagnosing and getting the best possible surgeon in to operate on his brain tumor.   
  
Jacob Carter had also arrived on Earth a day after word was sent, too late to offer anything other than moral support. Both he and Selmac were quietly grieving for the woman who had been a friend not only to Sam, but to both of them as well. Daniel showed his grief openly as expected. Janet had nursed him through everything from sarcophagus withdrawal to appendicitis, and they had bonded over many a late night chat in the infirmary. It was the other three men behind them whose reactions had been unexpected.  
  
General Hammond had been devastated, which had probably surprised the rest of the group more than Sam. Since she had been grounded from gate travel for the last seven months, she'd had an opportunity to witness the General and her best friend anxiously waiting together for word of an overdue team. She had even joined their vigil several times, twice when SG1 had been the team in question. She'd seen how the two had formed a mutual support system. Janet trusted the General to do everything in his power to get the errant team home, at which point Hammond would turn them over to his CMO with complete confidence that she would use every means at her disposal to patch them up. In Janet Fraiser he had found a friend, confidant, and someone he trusted with the lives of those under his command.   
  
That Teal'c had lost his stoic posture and was obviously grieving had startled everyone. No one had ever guessed until he had confessed the evening before, that the mighty Jaffa had a bit of a crush on the petite Doctor. Jack had also astounded everyone but Sam by allowing his grief over the death of their good friend to show openly. What had not surprised anyone was how he had become the rock that they all relied on. It was Jack who made all of the funeral arrangements, coordinating with Janet's family, Cassie and Sam, and the Air Force. And although Cassie has already turned eighteen and technically no longer needed a legal guardian, it was Jack who, after conferring with the two women involved, had started to plow through the red tape so that he and Sam could legally claim Cassie as a dependant. He wanted to make sure that she was still covered by the USAF for things like her medical insurance at least until she was out of school. It would also allow him to set up a trust fund for her to make sure that her college costs were taken care of.  
  
The funeral passed in a blur for Sam, who concentrated on the feel of Jack's hand on her shoulder to keep herself grounded. She had cried herself out over the past three days. Today her grief was more controlled, and she was focused on making sure Cassie was doing ok. After the graveside service, the fifteen of them returned to Sam and Jack's house for lunch, which Jack and organized and had catered so Sam didn't try to overdue things. After a couple of hours Sam slipped into the kitchen to catch her breath and make herself a cup of tea. As she waited for the kettle to boil she felt two strong arms reach around her and come to rest on her swollen belly. As if sensing that Daddy was there, the baby gave a couple of kicks in greeting. She felt Jack chuckle as she leaned back into his embrace.  
  
"I'll never get tired of this," Jack admitted, letting his hands rest on the spot where he could feel the most activity.   
  
"You would if it was your organs getting used as tom toms," Sam sighed, even as she smiled. As painful as it sometimes was, she found the baby's activity very comforting. "I've been thinking," she said turning slightly in his arms.  
  
"I'm assuming not about some scheme to save the world," Jack teased.  
  
Sam ignored him. "What do you think about Janet for a girl's name?" she asked tilting her head back to see his face.  
  
"I thought you wanted to use your Mom's name," he reminded her.  
  
"Yeah, but Janet Marie sounds nice, and that way we would be using both," Sam explained.  
  
"Could I call her Janey?" Jack asked after a moment of thought.  
  
"Could I stop you?" Sam inquired grinning.  
  
"Then I like it," Jack agreed. "But there's someone else you need to ask."  
  
"I think it's a great name," a wavering voice from the doorway gave approval.  
  
Jack and Sam both turned and instinctively opened their arms to gather Cassie into a hug that she gratefully accepted. After a long moment the young woman broke free, wiping a tear away.  
  
"It could be a boy, though," she reminded them, then she caught the glance the two exchanged. "Except you already know it's a girl," she accused excitedly.   
  
"Don't tell anyone. We just found out last week," Jack confirmed.  
  
Cassie paused for a moment. "Did Mom know?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, sweetie. She was there for the ultrasound," Sam told her.  
  
Cassie nodded and relaxed a bit as if that knowledge gave her comfort. "Your secret is safe with me," she promised.  
  
"That's settled then. Janet Marie O'Neill it is," Jack announced.  
  
Cassie's eyes suddenly went wide and a small smile appeared warming Jack and Sam's hearts. "So, Uncle Jack. How are you going to survive a whole summer surrounded by three girls?" she teased.  
  
Jack tolled his eyes. "Should I just hand over my credit card and total control of my life right now?" he groaned, causing the two women to chuckle and nod.  
  
Just then Daniel stuck his head into the room cautiously. Expecting to find a grief stricken group, he was surprised to see three smiling faces turn his way.   
  
"Uh, we could use some more ice," he informed them, holding up the ice bucket in his hands.  
  
"I'm on it," Jack said, grabbing the bucket and opening the freezer. Once he had refilled the bucket he gave Daniel a friendly shove out of the room. "Come on Danny boy. I desperately need to find a room with more testosterone in it," he quipped. The he turned before actually leaving himself. "You two, er three, going to be ok?"  
  
"Yes Jack. Go play host. We'll be out in a minute," Sam assured him. Then she looked at Cassie and took a deep breath. "Are we ready to go back out there and face everyone?" she asked, placing an arm around the girl's shoulders.   
  
Cassie wrapped an arm around Sam's waist. "We are. We are very brave, remember?" Cassie replied.   
  
"Braver than we should ever have to be," Sam agreed sadly, slipping back into her grief. She realized that once again Jack had managed to lift their spirits if only for a few minutes. Taking a page from his book Sam paused with Cassie at the threshold of the living room.   
  
"Hey, Cass. Do you suppose he was serious about the charge card?" 


	24. It's All Relative

Title: "It's All Relative (1/1)"  
  
Author: Jackie W.  
  
Email: jackiesfic@a...  
  
Author's Notes: I made it – I have to admit I had my doubts, but here it is! The end!  
  
February, 2028  
  
Even when I was very young on some level I realized that my family was not ordinary. Oh, I have a Mom and a Dad, two older sisters and a twin brother, a grandfather and various uncles, aunts and cousins like any normal family. It is the individuals themselves that are far from ordinary. First of all while it is not terribly unusual in a town with a large military presence to have two parents who are officers, having both a Mom and a Dad who are Generals is downright unheard of. Dad was already a General when I was born. Mom was promoted to that rank right after my brother Danny and I turned four. Dad was a two star when he finally 'retired' 7 years ago, although I use the term retired loosely. He still is very active consulting and training. Mom was promoted to a two star not long after that. All bets are that she will surpass Dad's rank, although she talks more and more about retiring next year at age 60 instead of waiting until she's 65. Dad just smiles and nods when she brings up the subject. She would be bored in a week.  
  
My mother is brilliant. Dad's no dummy either no matter how much he pretends to be. Needless to say my siblings and I are no slouches in the brains department. Janet, who is five years older the me, graduated from MIT at age 20 and is currently finishing up her masters. She plans to expand on some of Mom's past work as the basis for her thesis when she goes for her PHD at University of Chicago. Georgia, my other sister is at the Airforce Academy following in Mom and Dad's footsteps. Well, mostly Dad's as she is his clone. Sarcastic and irreverent, I can't count the number of times my mother has gone to Dad complaining about the mischief that 'his daughter' has gotten into. Then there is my twin bother Daniel, who has already been accepted at no less than six major universities for pre-med. He announced at age 10 he wanted to be a doctor, and has never looked back. Mom had tears in her eyes that day, and it was the first time we heard the full story of my sister Janet's namesake.   
  
As for me? I've known since I was sixteen that all I had to do to get an appointment to the Academy was ask. I've spent a lot of time debating the issue over the past two years, Mom and Dad have never pushed, and both have been very forthcoming about the good and the bad aspects of a military life. I have to admit that although I tend to be more of a scholar I have enough of the daredevil in me to find the idea of the Air Force appealing. Mom says that because I am a perfect blending of her and Dad. Dad smiled at that and reminded her that she flew F-16's and rode a motorcycle, and hadn't been above a bit of an adrenaline rush herself. That had gotten my curiosity peaked. It was hard to see my Mom as a wild women, but over the years I have seen flashes of it, especially when she's whipping everyone's butt's at pool. I probably shouldn't be surprised since I know now what my parents used to do for a living.   
  
When I was eight, like all young boys, I thought my Dad was a hero. I loved looking at all of his medals. It never really occurred to me that Mom had quite a few, too, and that they didn't give them out for scientific achievement. Then the Stargate was made public and suddenly Janey, Georgia, Danny and I saw our parents in a whole new light. They both were truly heroes. It was hard to reconcile the incredible stories with the loving people that I've always known. Mom and Dad quickly whisked the four of us off to the cabin in Minnesota, where we spent a week fishing, hiking and talking. They let us ask any questions we wanted to, and by the end of the week we knew a lot about Uncle Teal'c and the Jaffa, Grandpa Jacob and the Tok'Ra, the Goa'uld and the Asguard. It was a week none of us will ever forget.   
  
Boy were the four of us popular when we got back to school. Even Janet, who at thirteen was a braniac without the advantage of being the beauty she is now, was instantly one of the 'cool' kids. Mom and Dad worked hard to keep us grounded, and eventually life settled down again. It was easy to forget that some of my family weren't human, especially Cassie whom we had always looked up to like a big sister. What I didn't realize was that even I wasn't totally human.  
  
Mom had told us how she had once been a host to a Tok'Ra named Jolinar, and how the symbiote had died to save her life. She never mentioned the protein marker or the Naquada in her blood. When each of my sister's turned eighteen she had taken them off for what she called a bonding weekend. Just recently it was Daniel and my turns. She took us separately, Daniel first, then several weeks later she headed out with me. That was when I learned that I had trace amounts of Naquada in my blood.  
  
I was stunned when she pulled out a ribbon device and showed me how it worked. Then she showed me the healing device and let the soft glow move over a small cut I had received doing yard work the week before. I was fascinated. I eagerly tried both devices but couldn't get either if them to work. Mom wasn't surprised. She said as twins Daniel and I had a lot less Naquada than my sisters had gotten, and Danny hadn't been able to make the devices work either. My sisters had only had limited success, Janet being able to make the healing device work, while Georgia had only gotten the ribbon device to activate.   
  
Danny had been upset. As a doctor he could have really used the healing device. Mom told me the same thing she told him, to not be disappointed. This way we would never be faced with a situation where we would have to make a decision to use the devices. She quietly admitted that it had always upset her to do so, and that when she had failed, it had been even more distressful. If possible, my respect for my mother grew that day.   
  
Looking back on my childhood, what's really interesting is that in spite of all of the extraordinary people surrounding me, my life was pretty normal. All four of us kids played sports, and for the most part Mom and Dad were there in the stands cheering. Often times Uncle Teal'c or Uncle Daniel would come too. They probably attended more of our school events than most of my friends working parents did. Dad once said that it was because they appreciated how quickly something could happen to take one of us away from them. It wasn't until recently that I understood how much loss they had suffered. Charlie, Grandma Marie, Aunt Janet, plus all the other friends and comrades they had lost over the years had made them cherish every family moment that they could.   
  
I think that is why everyone gathered today is in such a joyful mood. Most of them have experienced loss in their lives, but are here today to celebrate life, with all of it's ups and downs, and the love and hard work that went into building this incredible family. Today is my parent's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. The house if full. Even grandpa George is here, having been sprung from the retirement home by one of his granddaughters. He's been a bit depressed since a mild stroke put him in a wheelchair two months ago, but today he is laughing and joking and the twinkle is back in his eyes. He's surrounded by his own great-grandchildren, and several of his adopted SGC grandchildren, telling stories to go along with the pictures in the albums Cassie and my sisters put together for the event. Even I was mesmerized by some of the stories I hadn't heard before.   
  
The party continued well into the evening. There are many toasts and anecdotes, from Grandpa George recounting the first meeting of my parents, to Teal'c revealing that my Dad resigned during a time loop so he could kiss Mom. Through it all my parents were inseparable, holding hands as they chatted and reminisced, happily surrounded by their family and friends.   
  
Much later after all of the guests had departed and it was just our family left, my siblings and I were all getting ready to crash for the night when we realized that Mom and Dad had gone AWOL. We knew of course that they were up on deck with the telescope. Despite several additions and remodelings over the years as our family grew, Dad's telescope deck had survived and it had always been my parent's refuge when they needed a few quiet moments. I volunteered to go tell them goodnight. Careful to make plenty of noise, (it's almost impossible to sneak up on Mom and Dad, but it has happened and I'd prefer not to repeat that mistake), I climbed the ladder and found them snuggled together wrapped in a blanket on the lounger.   
  
  
  
"We're heading to bed, and just wanted to say goodnight," I informed them with a smile.  
  
"We'll see you all in the morning, Jake. Sunday morning pancakes sound good?" Dad replied.  
  
"Youbetcha," I grinned, then turned and left them to their stargazing.  
  
,  
  
Up on the deck Sam snuggled in closer to her husband's warm body. "Do you think he knew?" she whispered.  
  
"Oh yeah," Jack chuckled.  
  
"Really, how?" Sam inquired looking around.  
  
"Well, my boxers hanging off the telescope were probably a dead give away. I told you not to fling them!" Jack teased.   
  
Sam hid her laughter in his shoulder.  
  
"No giggling, General", Jack ordered. "Now where were we?"  
  
Sam slid her hand down his chest until she found what she was looking for. "Right about here, Sir," she answered as her husband growled and moved in to silence her with a kiss that after twenty-five years still made her toes curl.   
  
Tomorrow the demands of family and planet would probably run them ragged. But for tonight they were free to be Sam and Jack, safe in each other's arms, at peace under the stars that had become their second home.   
  
The total and complete end! 


End file.
